What Happens in Vegas
by alate
Summary: What happens in Vegas doesn't stay there when Steph, Ranger and the guys make the trip to apprehend a skip!
1. Prolouge

_They're not mine and I'm not making any money…_

_I guess this is where my muse went, because this story won't leave me alone! I have the whole story line figured out, so maybe if I write it up I can get my muse back under control! Please enjoy!_

**What Happens in Vegas…**

**Prologue**

"Okay, Babe, you're ready to go," Ranger said, withdrawing his hand from the scrap of fabric I was calling a top. How he'd found somewhere to secure a mike, I'll never know… maybe that's what all the exploration was for.

I just gave him a hazy nod, and seeing my lipstick smeared all across his bottom lip, reached out a thumb to wipe it away. Pulling out my compact, I checked my own lipstick and found it mostly rubbed off so I applied a fresh coat before sliding out of the truck.

Taking another look down my body, I wondered yet again how I got talked into this. I was wearing an outfit that would more than likely be considered indecent exposure in Jersey, but since we're in Vegas anything goes.

I was doing a distraction on Donovan Riley, a white collar criminal, who'd been evading the Rangemen for some time now. They'd chased him all over Trenton, but he'd somehow stayed one step ahead. The night I'd been scheduled to do distraction in Trenton was the night he fled the state.

It had taken the guys a couple of days, but they'd tracked him to Vegas. Ranger had wasted no time calling in my promise to do distraction and of course I agreed. Who was I to turn down a free vacation to Vegas, even if it was a working vacation?

There hadn't been much chance for vacation though, since we'd been laying low trying to find Riley for the past two days. We'd finally found his hotel, which was across the street from a sleazy strip joint where he'd been spending all his time.

So, squaring my shoulders and giving my hips a bit more swing, I walked through the door. Spotting Riley on a barstool, I plopped myself in a stool a few down from him, but close enough to talk. Giving a dissatisfied huff and arranging a pout on my face I ordered a drink.

"Hey, Baby," I heard from my other side. Shit. "What's a sweet little thing like you doing alone in a place like this?"

"Just having a drink," I said as the bartender delivered my drink.

Someone else came over to talk to the guy just then, so I took the opportunity to slide a few stools closer to Riley.

"Excuse me," I said.

"Yeah?" he responded, lifting his eyes to me.

"Could you do me a favor?" I asked, leaning in and revealing even more cleavage.

"Sure, Sweetheart," he said, speaking to my chest. "What can I do for ya?"

"See that guy over there?" I said tilting my head towards the guy from before. When Riley nodded I went on, "He's really creeping me out. Do you mind if I just sit here with you so he'll leave me alone?"

"Only if you let me buy you another drink when that one's through," he said, shooting me a smarmy smile.

"Deal," I smiled, lifting my glass and taking a sip. Damn, I had to get him out of here before I could finish this one. It was quite strong and if I drank the whole thing I wouldn't be walking out.

"I'm Donavan Riley," he said, extending a hand.

"Stephanie," I replied, taking it.

"So, what are you doing here alone?" he asked.

"Well," I said, thinking fast. "Until about ten minutes ago, I was dating a bouncer and he was going to try to get me a job, but I kicked him in the nuts when I saw him making out with one of the other girls. So somehow, I don't see the job thing happening."

"That's too bad," he said, placing a hand on my thigh in what would be a comforting gesture if it was about four inches south.

"Yeah, too bad," I agreed, taking another sip of my drink.

"Any guy who'd cheat on you would have to be out of his mind," he said, squeezing my thigh where his hand was still resting on it. I really needed to get out of here.

Lifting my eyes to his, I gave him my saddest look. "He still cheated," I said. "In fact, I really just want to get out of here. You've been so nice; do you think you could walk me to my car? That guy from earlier is still around, and the parking lot wasn't lit very well."

"Sure thing," he said, laying some money on the bar.

"Thank you," I said, giving him a little smile as we headed for the door.

Staying a couple steps behind Riley, I was sure to be out of the way when the guys grabbed him.

"Donovan Riley, you're in violation of your bond agreement. On behalf of Vincent Plum Bail Bonds, we will be escorting you back into the system," Lester said.

As the cuffs were snapped on his wrists, he jerked his head around to look at me. "Sorry," I mouthed. I really did feel a bit bad about tricking him. He was nowhere near as slimey as the guys I usually distracted and he did seem like a nice guy. Too bad he really is a felon, I had to remind myself.

"Ready to go, Babe?" Ranger asked, coming up behind me.

"Sure," I said. I really wanted to get back to the hotel and change out of this outfit.

"Then let's go," he said, leading me to a Bronco that had Tank sitting behind the wheel. "We'll head back to the hotel and Bobby and Lester will drop Riley off for a night with the police."

"Okay," I replied, rubbing my hands up and down my arms. It was kind of chilly in the desert at night.

"Here," Ranger said simply, slipping out of his jacket and draping it across my shoulders.

Climbing into the back seat of the Bronco, I heard the engine purr to life, but I was out like a light. No matter how dangerous or not a skip is I always get a rush of adrenaline when I bring them out. The downslide of that rush combined with the body heat that was still coming from Ranger's jacket along with the smell of Bulgari and I didn't stand a chance.

"Babe, wake up," was the next thing I heard.

"Huh?" I mumbled, cracking one eye open and finding that I was in my room of our hotel suite. Turning my head the other way, my cheek ran into a t-shirt covered chest. Ranger.

"We're back. You need to get changed, and then when the guys come back we'll go out for dinner."

"Sounds good," I said, squirming so he'd put me down.

"Unless you want to keep this on…" Ranger said suggestively once he'd stood me on my feet in front of himself.

"I think not," I responded,

"Too bad," he sighed, leaning in and giving me a kiss on the forehead before shoving me in the direction of my bathroom. "The guys should be back in about a half an hour."

"Okay," I replied, before entering the bathroom and shutting the door.

Leaning against it, I lifted one foot, unhooked the strap on my shoe and let it fall to the ground. Repeating the process on the other foot I sighed in relief when the heels were off.

Peeling myself away from the door, I stripped out of my scrap of fabric top and skirt and turned on the tap to the shower. I knew I didn't have time to completely start from scratch, but I wanted to get some of the reek of smoke from the club off of myself, so I clipped my hair on top of my head and climbed in.

The hot water felt wonderful, and as I let it course over me, I felt my eyes drift shut. Unheeded, the kiss I'd shared earlier with Ranger came flashing through my mind. Shit. I'd been doing so well controlling my feeling for him, and then he had to go and do something like that.

When I agreed to come to Vegas, I had assumed that he wouldn't be coming along. The last time I'd been to Vegas after a skip he couldn't come because of some legal difficulty with the state of Nevada. According to him though, 'it was all cleared up.'

I'd gotten the full story from the guys on the flight out here though. Apparently, they'd come after a skip, caught the skip, and then gone celebrating. They gotten a bit drunk and found their way to a strip club. While there, Ranger had decided he didn't like the way some guy was talking to the strippers and had pulled his gun. He didn't have a license to carry and the gun had been unregistered which hadn't gone over very well with the police. His lawyers had since then gotten the charges dropped, so he was once again welcome in Nevada.

Shaking my head, I pried my eyes open and forced my mind away from Ranger. I had to hurry or I was going to be pushing my time limit. Getting back to the business of showering, I grabbed my wash cloth and when I reached for the soap, I found the bottle of Bulgari I'd filched from Ranger's bathroom before getting ready for the job. Unable to help myself, I poured some out and after that there was no controlling my Ranger thoughts.

There was nothing more frustrating, I decided, than loving a man, lusting after him and not being able to have him. It really hadn't been so bad when it had only been lust. Then I'd at least been able to admonish myself for only wanting his body. Now I knew I wanted all of him. Too bad he didn't do relationships.

But Joe did relationships, I thought with a small, sad smile, as I climbed out of the shower and toweled myself off. Problem was, he wanted to do relationships in a by-the-book way, meaning date for a sufficient amount of time, get engaged, get married, have 2.5 kids and Bob. I love him, I'd admitted it to myself and him, but I couldn't live that life. I'd hate it and I'd start to hate him. When I tried to tell him this, I'd meant it to be a rational, mature conversation, but our Italian tempers had flared and it had turned into a screaming match. Needless to say, we were off, and we still needed to have the 'we can't make this work' talk.

Letting out a frustrated sigh at my screwed up love life, I started flying around my room looking for something to wear. Ranger had said we were going out to dinner, but this was Vegas. We could be going anywhere from an all-night diner to a fancy club.

Deciding I really didn't care, I pulled on a tight pair of jeans and a stretchy, glittery tank top. Once dressed, I rushed back into the bathroom and shook out my curls, pleased to find them still in pretty good shape. Adding a few swipes of mascara and some strawberry lip gloss I was ready to go. Snagging a pair of low heels, I rushed out of my room just as Lester and Bobby were leaving theirs.

"Hey, Bomber," they greeted me. "Ready to have some fun."

"Just so long as it doesn't involve shooting or getting arrested," I said laughing.

"We make no promises," Bobby responded as we entered the main room of the suite.

Spotting Ranger, I skipped over to him since I was feeling playful all of a sudden. "Will you make sure I don't get shot or arrested?" I asked.

"Of course Babe," Ranger said, smiling at me.

"You better watch it man, or you're gonna be no fun just like the Bombshell," Lester said, laughing. "You have a lot to live up to after last time we were here. You got arrested and almost shot someone."

"I don't think I can possibly live up to that one," Ranger said, looking at the guys but putting a steadying hand on my waist as I pulled on my shoes.

Straightening back up, I took a good look at the guys and I think my heart stuttered at seeing them all out of work gear. They weren't wearing anything more spectacular than jeans and t-shirts, but they still looked great.

"Enough talk!" Lester exclaimed. "Let's get out of here."

"Babe, you ready?" Ranger asked.

"As ready as I'm going to get," I replied. I don't think anyone can really be ready for a night out in Vegas with the Rangemen.

"Then let's go," Ranger said, wrapping an arm around my waist and we were out the door.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

A/N: Please review and let me know what you thought!


	2. Chapter 1

_They're not mine and I'm not making any money… _

_Thank you all for reading and for all the wonderful reviews! Please enjoy!_

**What Happens in Vegas…**

**Chapter 1**

Leaving the hotel, we headed out the front door and while I was waiting for a valet to bring the Bronco, a limo pulled up. I was watching for whoever was coming or going in it when I was shocked to see the guys start to climb in.

"A limo?" I asked to no one in particular.

"We're going out on the town in style," Tank said, giving me a rare smile and then taking my arm and escorting me into the limo.

"Why, thank you," I told him as I looked around the inside. It was rather fancy with couch like seats, a small TV and a mini bar.

We weren't in the limo long before Lester started exploring the mini bar. Before I knew it, he was popping the cork from a bottle of champagne and handing glasses around.

"To Bombshell, for getting us to the celebration in half the time it took us last time we were here," he said, raising his glass.

"To Bombshell," they all chorused while I blushed.

Once they had drunk, I raised my own glass to toast them. "You guys aren't so bad yourselves," and I took a sip. Feeling my eyes widening at how good the champagne was, I took another sip and before I knew it, Lester was refilling my glass.

The ride to wherever we were going was lots of fun. The guys were relaxed and even Ranger had a glass of champagne to drink. By the time I felt the limo slowing down, I was already feeling a little buzzy but the guys were fine so I wasn't worried.

When we got out of the limo, I found we were outside of a restaurant called El Diablo, so I was guessing we were having Mexican. That assumption was confirmed when we entered the building, me clutching Ranger's arm for stability, and I saw the vibrant colors and smelled the spicy food.

We were quickly shown to a circular booth and I was seated between Ranger and Bobby with Tank and Lester on the ends. We hadn't been seated long before a waitress came to take our drink orders and I experienced a feeling of foreboding when I heard Lester order a bottle of tequila and five shot glasses.

"Do a shot with us, Bomber," Bobby was begging nearly as soon as our drinks arrived.

"Tequila and I don't get along that well," I said, thinking of the state I was in the last time the girls and I had gone out for margaritas.

"Oh come on," Lester said, "we won't let anything happen to you."

"Alright," I finally agreed, still eyeing the bottle of amber liquid.

With me in on the fun, Bobby poured out five shots and handed around lime. I shot a look at Ranger, surprised that he would join in, when he gave me the 200 Watt smile.

"Body's not a temple tonight, Babe," he said.

And with that, he licked some salt, tossed back his shot and then popped his lime into his mouth before indicating that I should go. I hadn't done this since college, but I was shocked at the ease with which it came back to me. I only pulled a bit of a face as I sucked the lime.

I was really starting to feel very happy when the waitress came back to take our meal orders. I hadn't even looked at the menu, but the problem was taken out of my hands when Tank told the waitress we wanted one order of all of the appetizers. That would be fun.

While we waited, the guys did another shot and it didn't take much to convince me to do another as well.

"Wait! You two together," Bobby exclaimed, waving a hand between Ranger and I.

"Huh?" I asked.

"Stick salt on you hands, but lick off each other and one of you hold the lime in your teeth so the person drinking can suck it and then the second person sucks it out of the first person's mouth."

"Babe?" Ranger asked, quirking an eyebrow at me. That looked like a challenge.

"I'm in," I said, handing my shot glass from before back to Lester and trying to quirk my eyebrow back.

I went first, licking the salt from Ranger's hand and I may have detoured a bit up his wrist, but then I remembered to take the shot before I'd swallowed all the salt. He was holding the lime between his teeth so I opened my mouth around it and grabbed it, touching my lips to his but he wouldn't let go of the lime, so I just sucked it with it still in his mouth.

When he finally let go, he wolf grinned at me before licking my hand and sending shivers all through my body. Then he took his shot and touched his lips to mine sliding his tongue into my mouth, searching for the lime I was holding there. He showed some hidden talent as he managed to suck the lime without taking it from my mouth.

We didn't pull apart until I vaguely registered the yells of 'get a room' and 'the food will be here soon, don't eat Bomber' coming from the guys.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Ouch. That was my first waking though. My second was along the lines of, what the Hell happened? My head was pounding, my brain felt like mush and my tongue was stuck to the roof of my mouth. My entire body ached and I wasn't sure if I was really capable of opening my eyes or if it was even a good idea at this point. I was just starting to think that letting myself drift back into unconsciousness was the best thing I could do when I noticed a weight around my waist and heat at my side. Uh oh.

Prying one eye open, I discovered that my face was not buried in a pillow like I had thought, but a muscular shoulder. And that shoulder had a definite mocha latte hue. More uh oh.

Making a supreme effort I tilted my head up, but immediately squeezed my eyes shut again at the splinters of pain that radiated through it. Once the pain had gone back down to it's previous pounding, I opened my eyes again only to confirm my suspicions about the owner of the shoulder I was resting on. Ranger.

Wracking my brain, I tried to remember the events of last night and how we could have ended up like this. Even concentrating as hard as my headache would allow, the events of the evening were disturbingly hazy. The last thing I really remember was drinking champagne in the limo the guys had ordered to take us out, getting to the restaurant and doing shots of tequila while we waited for our dinners to be served. Not good.

Very gently, I wiggled an arm free from where Ranger had his arm thrown across me. I wasn't sure if I was ready for him to wake up yet. Luckily, he seemed to be pretty out of it still. Once I'd gotten my arm free, I shut my eyes again and carefully lifted the sheet we were covered with. It took me a few minutes, but I finally gathered enough courage to open my eyes and peek under the sheet. Neither of us was wearing a stitch of clothing. Again, not good.

Shutting my eyes yet again, I let the sheet drop and tried to will it to all just go away. Judging from the fact that I could still feel Ranger warm beside me and that I wasn't suddenly wearing pajamas, I figured that it hadn't worked. Burying my head deeper in Ranger's shoulder, I tried to figure out what to do.

Should I wake him up? Should I just leave? I didn't want to do either. Waking him up would mean dealing with the morning after mess and I still haven't fully recovered from our last morning after. And this time, I had a lot more feelings invested. As for just leaving, I wasn't sure if I was physically capable of dragging myself from the bed right now.

Giving up, I relaxed and let myself fall back asleep, deciding to deal with it later.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Ouch, I thought as I came awake, this feels familiar. With a feeling of apprehension, I once again cracked an eye and again met with a mocha latte arm. It didn't take me long to remembered why this was familiar. Lots of alcohol, Ranger, no clothes. And it hadn't gone away.

Lifting my eyes, I found Ranger watching me intently. Unsure as to what to say, I just laid there, not breaking eye contact for about a minute.

"Hey," he eventually said, in a scratchy voice, indicating he had just woken up as well. "How're you feeling?"

"Unhgh," was my only response as I shut my eyes again and buried my face into his shoulder once again.

"Thought so," he replied.

"Do you remember last night?" I mumbled from where my face was hidden.

"I remember dinner, then going to a club and we were dancing. After that, I've got nothing."

"Did we…" I started, unable to fully voice the question. I was really holding out hope that we'd gotten back to the hotel, crawled into bed and been too drunk to find something to sleep in. That still didn't explain why I was in his room and not my own…

"Yeah, I think we did, Babe," Ranger replied, dashing my hopes as he tightened his hold on me and rubbed my back. "You okay?"

"I think so," I said, before stating the obvious. "But, I'm really hung over."

"Want me to call room service and order the cure?" he asked.

"Please," was my only response as I rolled off of him so he could reach the phone.

Neither of us was really in great shape right now, so we could deal with whatever happened last night once we were feeling a bit more human. I also had a feeling I was still a bit drunk, which would explain why I wasn't more freaked out right now, but it also meant I wasn't up to the conversation that would have to take place.

Giving my head a gentle shake to drive away the serious thoughts that I wasn't ready for, but were demanding attention, I turned my head to watch Ranger order our breakfast.

"Hello. This is Carlos Manoso in suite 415. Is it possible to have room service delivered from McDonald's?" I heard Ranger ask and had to smile. I'm pretty sure they didn't have fries and Coke on the normal room service menu. "Good," he continued. "I'd like to order two large fries and two large Cokes. Thank you."

One he hung up, I gently rolled my eyes to look at him as he relaxed back onto the bed. He'd ordered McDonald's for himself?

"I'm just as hung over as you are, Babe," he said doing the ESP thing. "And from what I remember, my body wasn't a temple at all last night, so a little more won't hurt."

After that, we both simply laid on our backs, side by side, not talking, until we heard a faint knocking coming from the main door of the suite.

"I'll get it," Ranger said, slipping out of bed and pulling a pair of sweats from the back of a chair. He also tossed me the t-shirt that had been with them before heading out the door.

A minute later, he came back carrying our food. Entering the room, I saw him reach for the light, pause, shake his head and continue towards the bed. As he approached, I caught a whiff of fry; I think I recovered a little bit just from the smell. I know I began to recover as I shoved the first few in my mouth.

We continued in silence until we were both about half way through our fries when Ranger spoke.

"I think this is actually working," he said.

"Of course it is," I replied, giving him an eye roll and instantly regretting it. "Owww," I groaned, shutting my eyes as my headache sent splinters through my head.

While my eyes were shut, I felt Ranger get off of the bed so I pried one open to watch him wander towards the bathroom. Huh?

"Advil," he said, holding up a bottle as he came out of the bathroom.

"Thank God," I replied. Anything to get rid of the pounding in my head.

"Here you go," Ranger said, holding out his hand and offering me two liquid-gels.

I quickly popped them in my mouth, swallowed and chased them with a slurp of Coke. Painkillers go so well with the cure. I did wonder if they were any match for the mother of all hangovers I was sporting or if I'd be up any time soon.

Climbing back into bed, Ranger swallowed his own Advil and resumed eating his dose of the cure, so I followed suit. I sort of wondered how much longer we could keep this up.

Ten minutes later, as I was licking the last of the salt from my fingers and washing it down with the last slurp of my Coke, I got my answer.

"Babe, I think we need to talk," Ranger said, sighing as he leaned back against the headboard.

"I know," I replied, feeling a bit panicked. I could literally feel my heart thundering at the thought of another rejection. "Can we do it later, though? My brain just isn't working nearly well enough yet."

"Sure, Babe," he said.

After that, we both just sat there for awhile longer. We really were in bad shape.

"Do you have any idea what kind of shape the guys are in this morning?" I asked.

"Not a clue," Ranger answered. "They were all dancing and having a great time at the club last I remember. All I know for sure is that none of them are passed out in the main room of the suite."

"I wish I could remember seeing them drunk," I complained.

"How much do you remember?" he asked.

"Tequila before dinner."

"You really can't hold your alcohol, can you?" Ranger asked, giving me a little smile. "I'm sorry, I should have stopped you or not let the guys give you shots."

"I'm a big girl," I said, leaning sideways and resting my head on his shoulder.

This was comfortable right now and I didn't want it to end. I wasn't sure if it was because I was still a little drunk or because I was just in denial, but I knew things would get awkward as soon as we had our talk.

"I know you are, Babe," Ranger said, tilting his own head to the side and resting it on top of mine. "But I still should have been watching your back."

"You were," I replied, smiling a little. "You wouldn't have let me go home with some stranger would you?"

"Definitely not," he said.

"Good."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Ouch, I thought as I felt myself being pulled towards consciousness. This is getting to be way too familiar, I decided. At least this time the worst pain was in my neck from the way I'd been resting on Ranger's shoulder.

"Babe, wake up," I heard Ranger saying.

"Huh?" I asked. I never claimed to be eloquent when first woken up.

"We fell asleep," he answered as I felt him pushing some hair back from my face.

"Oh."

"How are you feeling?"

"A lot better actually. I think the hangover's almost gone. How about you?"

"Pretty good," he answered. "But I think I'll be skipping my run today."

"You're going to Hell in a hand basket," I said.

"Probably," he agreed, before sighing and saying the words I was dreading. "Babe, I think we need to talk about last night."

"Yeah," I said, sighing myself. I knew we had to, I just didn't want to.

"Do you want to do it now, or do you want to go, shower, get dressed and do it then?"

"Door number two, please," I said at the prospect of putting off our talk a little longer.

"Okay, you go shower and then meet me back on the couch in the sitting area in an hour," he said, giving me a time so I couldn't back out. "I'm going to shower and then try to locate the guys."

"Thanks. And good luck," I said, giving him a small smile before slipping out of bed and making for the door.

Half way there, I realized I was still only wearing Ranger's shirt. I didn't see my clothes anywhere, so I cracked the door and peeked around.

"The guys are still MIA, Babe," Ranger said chuckling. "It's safe."

Turning around and sticking my tongue out at him, I slipped quickly slipped out the door and headed for my own room.

Once there, I debated flopping on my bed, in my thinking position, but I decided that thinking really wasn't what I needed right now. What I needed was a shower so I'd be nice and relaxed before this talk I was facing.

In the bathroom, I turned on the faucet to let the water get hot and while I waited I grabbed my toothbrush, looking forward to getting rid of the taste that was still lingering in my mouth. Just as I reached for the toothpaste, I saw something sparkle.

Huh?

Looking at my hand, I caught sight of something that made my heart stop for a second. I was wearing a platinum ring with what had to be a one carat diamond and a gold wedding band. How the Hell was I hung over enough to miss that? Sure we'd kept the lights off out of respect for our headaches, but still!

Blindly walking out of my bathroom and out of my room, I made my way back to Ranger's room without taking my eyes off the rings. As I walked back into his room, I found him just exiting his own bathroom. He was also staring at his left hand, but looked up when he noticed me.

"We couldn't have…" was all I said, staring into his eyes, seeing the same shock I'm sure was mirrored in mine.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

A/N: So, what do you think? Please review and let me know!


	3. Chapter 2

_They're not mine and I'm not making any money…_

_Thank you all for reading and for all the wonderful reviews! Please enjoy!_

**What Happens in Vegas**

**Chapter 2**

"We couldn't have," I repeated in a slightly higher voice when Ranger continued to stare at me. "We'd remember that."

"Babe," he said, taking a step towards me but I just took a step backwards. There was no way I could deal with this right now.

"We can't be…" I started before shaking my head again as I trailed off. I couldn't even say the word. "You said you'd never do something stupid like that."

"Stephanie," Ranger tried using my full name as he took another step towards me.

"I can't do this right now," I said, giving him a pleading look as a jolt of panic shot through me.

"Okay, Babe," Ranger said in a calming voice after he'd watched me for a minute. "Then you go get your shower and meet me out in the sitting area in an hour like we'd planned. Is that enough time?"

"Maybe," I answered, while mentally screaming 'No.'

"This isn't going to go away. We have to figure out what it means… it may mean nothing," he said, but neither of us really believed that.

"Okay. An hour," I conceded, before turning and exiting his room as quickly as possible and retreating to my own.

Once there, I could hear the water still running in the bathroom from when I'd started it earlier for my shower. Deciding that going ahead with a shower was a good idea, I headed back to the bathroom.

Before climbing into the shower, I pulled off Ranger t-shirt and tossed it into the corner. Then, staring at my left hand, I debated taking the rings off. They really were beautiful and they felt kind of good, but they didn't belong there so I decided to take them off. Problem was that when I tried, I couldn't get them to slide over my knuckle and pulling harder only made the knuckle swell. Guess they were staying on a bit longer.

In the shower, I studiously avoided the bottle of Bulgari that was still sitting on the ledge. The last thing I needed right now was a bunch of Ranger scented bubbles all around me. My mind was racing enough as it was.

We couldn't be… married.

Just that simple thought caused a cocktail of emotions to flood through me, rendering me extremely confused. The fear and panic I expected. The lust I accepted. The love and happiness I squashed into a back corner of my mind to be taken out and examined when this was all over.

Right now, I was puzzling over how this had come about. Had we really been that drunk? God, I wished I could remember something of last night. Then I might remember if I was Mrs. Carlos Manoso… Shit! There go the warm, fuzzy feelings in my belly.

On the other hand, the fact that I had more than likely slept with Ranger again last night now seemed like a minor issue. And it would have technically been sanctified by marriage… Not that we could actually be married.

Deciding I needed to get out of the shower before I could think any more, I shut off the water and wrapped a towel around myself. The towels were fluffy, but not quite as nice as the ones in Ranger's apartment. I wonder what kind of towels he has at the Batcave… Shit, I may have married him and I have no idea where he lives.

My mother is going to kill me when this gets back to her, I realized. I'd gotten drunk in Vegas and woken up with a hangover and a husband. No one she knows has a daughter who goes to Vegas and gets married. I'm sure of it. She's going to need to take in ironing to get over this. That or buy out a liquor store.

No more thinking, I mentally shouted as the panicked tone of my thoughts began to register.

Taking a deep breath, I flipped upside down, towel dried my hair and ran some gel through it before heading into my room. Once there, I checked my phone and saw that I still had about half an hour before I had to meet Ranger. I don't think I can make it that long before my head explodes. I may actually have to be proactive for once and go find him to get this talk over with.

Deciding to go ahead and locate Ranger, I pulled on sweats and left my room to do just that. It didn't take me long to though, since he was sitting on the couch waiting for me.

"Hey, Babe," he said when he saw me.

"Hi. Did you find the guys?" I asked. I may have come out here to get this talk over with, but that didn't mean I was going to jump right in.

"Yeah. They're all still passed out in their rooms."

"Alone?"

"Bobby's got a blonde in with him and Lester's got a brunette. Tank's thankfully alone."

"Thankfully," I agreed, shuddering at the thought of Lula in rhino-mode. "Any of them sporting wedding bands?"

"Not that I could tell," he said, meeting my eye for a moment before patting the couch indicating that I should sit.

"So," I said once I was sitting.

"So," Ranger agreed. Looks like neither of us really know how to deal with this.

"Where do we start?" I asked as I let out a deep breath. I could do this. Maybe.

"How about we try to figure out if we're actually married and go from there?"

"That's probably a good idea. How are we going to do that?"

"Not sure... There are enough wedding chapels in this city that we won't find the right one by guessing. Let's go look in my room for paperwork or something."

"Okay," I agreed. I couldn't think up a better idea.

With that, we both got up from the couch and headed for his room. Ranger went to look around the bathroom and I looked around the room a bit. I looked in the closet, not expecting to find anything and found a plastic bag with my clothes from the night before. Tossing them on the bed, I continued looking.

"Nothing in the bathroom," Ranger said then, coming back into the bedroom.

"I found my clothes from last night," I replied, indicating the bag.

We kept looking around for a moment longer until we both spoke up at the same time.

"You go first," Ranger said.

"I found a dress," I replied, holding up the crumpled scrap of whit fabric I'd found between the bed and nightstand.

"I found flowers," Ranger said, holding up a bouquet of very wilted daisies. "The bouquet holder says 'Moonlight Chapel' so I'll give them a call."

I just nodded my head as I watched Ranger flip though the phone book from the night stand and search for the number. A moment later, I was watching him dial and didn't realize I was holding my breath until I started to feel lightheaded.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to pay attention to what Ranger was saying, but I couldn't hear the words. It was almost like my senses had turned off. In truth it was a bit annoying, because possibly I'd be able to figure out from what he was saying whether or not we were married.

It didn't really matter, because a few moments later, Ranger hung up and sat on the bed next to me and all of my senses suddenly came rushing back to focus sharply on him.

"We're married," he stated.

"I'd figured as much," I admitted.

"Yeah. Me too."

After that, we both just sat there, side by side with our shoulders nearly touching but not quite, and stared into space.

"I don't know about you," I eventually said as I stood, "but I need some chocolate or ice cream before I can deal with this."

"Okay. I think we're both a bit in shock, so how about you order some chocolate cake and some ice cream from room service and I'll go for my run after all. When I get back we'll talk some more."

"Please," I replied. I think I really was in shock, because I wasn't having much of a reaction to this at all. It didn't seem real.

While Ranger changed into running clothes, I made my way back to the main room and ordered my junk. I may have ordered more than he had told me, but I had a feeling I was going to need it.

I had just settled into the couch to wait and was staring into space out when Ranger came through dressed in his running gear. I felt my hormones give a little flutter, but now wasn't the time for that. Ranger and I just locked eyes for a moment, but neither of us said anything because right now there was too much and also nothing at all to say. And then he was out the door.

I went back to staring into space and trying not to think. But thinking occurred. I was married to Batman. I felt myself starting to freak out a little and to be honest, I was a little relieved to finally be reacting. And freaked out felt a lot safer than the warm, fuzzy feelings I'd had earlier. They might be a problem, because I can't lie and say I never fanaticized about being married to Ranger… I love him; it's just that never in a million years did I think it would ever happen. Luckily, my thoughts were quickly interrupted by room service delivering my comfort food.

Parking the cart in front of the couch, I sat back to consider it for a moment. Where to start? It didn't take much deliberation to decide on the ice cream since that would melt. I'd ordered a hot fudge Sunday with chocolate ice cream and with the first bite I felt myself relaxing.

Thirty minutes later, I was leaning back into the couch cushions thinking maybe I should have stopped with two pieces of cake. My stomach really didn't feel so good. A breakfast of sugar based foods probably wasn't the greatest idea while still slightly hung-over. Finding out I was married had done a good job at clearing up a lot of the hangover, but there were still some physical effects that would only go away with time.

I was just beginning to contemplate heading for the bathroom in case I threw up when Ranger came back into the apartment. He was all glistening with sweat and again my hormones perked up and again I squashed them. Although, technically this should be our honeymoon…

Shaking my head to dislodge that particular thought, I asked Ranger how his run was.

"It was good," he said. "Cleared my mind a bit and helped with some of the hangover. I'm just going to go get a quick shower and then we can talk some more, okay?"

"Sure," I said. I really was ready for some more talking because out-right denial just wasn't going to work on this.

As he headed for his room, I sank back into the couch. I didn't have long to wait though, because he was in and out of the bathroom in about five minutes, looking completely normal except his ponytail was wet. How the Hell does he do that?

"So, we're married," I said as he sat down on the couch.

"Yeah, we're married. And in Vegas, it only takes a day for everything to be processed so we're completely legally married by now."

"My mother's going to kill me," I muttered.

"And mine's going to kill me, so at least you won't be alone."

"I never met your mother," I said suddenly. "Or any of your family but Julie for that matter. Oh my God! Julie! What's she going to say? Are we even going to tell anyone?"

"Calm down, Babe. Let's deal with one thing at a time."

We didn't get to deal with those things though, because just about then, Tank came stumbling out of his room.

"You two are friggin' loud," he complained holding his head. A hung-over, 6'6", 325 pound black man stumbling through the room was quite a sight to see.

"Sorry," I said softly.

"You shouldn't have been sleeping that late anyway," Ranger said in a normal voice.

"Shhhh," Tank said, heading for my snack cart and picking up a piece of cake.

Ranger and I just watched transfixed as he ate the whole thing in about three bites.

"Is he going to be okay eating that so early?" I whispered to Ranger.

"Yeah, he's got a stomach of steel," Ranger replied before addressing Tank. "Why'd you come out here in the first place?"

"Oh yeah," he said, looking up. "I don't remember last night so well, but I was checking my phone and found this on the background."

With that, he handed Ranger his phone and I scooted over to see. The background was a picture of Ranger and I in what was clearly a wedding chapel, I was in the white dress and Ranger was leaning me back, kissing me deeply.

"Want to explain?" Tank asked.

"We were actually just trying to figure that all out," Ranger said.

Not saying anything, Tank picked up my hand and then Ranger's. "So you're married?" he asked studying the rings, and then giving Ranger a look.

"Yep. We found the name of the chapel on Steph's bouquet and called and confirmed."

"So, what are you gonna to do?"

"We were still working on that," I replied.

"Well, work fast. Our flight leaves in about two hours," he said.

"What?!" I gasped.

"Yeah, we've gotta finish sobering up, get our skip and get back to Jersey. Don't forget we have that early meeting tomorrow," Tank said, directing that last part at Ranger.

"Shit. We do have to get back," Ranger said. "We have a meeting with some feds over a job Rangeman has been doing. I set it up yesterday after we got the skip since they're already irritated that we've been out of town."

"It's okay," I said, feeling a bit relieved. "We can figure this all out just as well at home."

"Thanks, Babe," he said. "In that case, we better put this off and get ready to head out."

"And you need to wake up Lester and Bobby," Tank said.

"Nope," Ranger replied. "There are naked women in there and since I'm married, the only naked woman I should see is my wife." With that, he pulled me close and placed a kiss in my curls before giving Tank a big grin.

"You married an ass," Tank informed me before heading towards Lester's room.

"I am sorry we can't take care of this now, Babe," Ranger said once we were alone again, "but I really do need to get back."

"I'm fine with going back," I replied. "It's not like there's anything we could do today anyway. And we can deal with it just as well from Trenton."

"Thanks," Ranger said, pressing another kiss into my curls, and then heading to start getting things ready to go home.

I grabbed a cup of chocolate mousse from the cart and headed for my own room. I honestly just didn't want to let the mousse go to waste.

In my room, I started picking things up and shoving them in my bag. The entire packing process didn't take long and before I knew it, I was checking under the bed and in the corners for anything I might have missed. Not finding anything, I plopped down on the bed to rest for a moment.

I'm married to Batman, I thought for what felt like the hundredth time today. I was really beginning to wonder why I wasn't more freaked out about this. Probably it was because I knew there was nothing I could do about it as yet, I decided as I once again studied my rings. Too bad I couldn't remember picking them out.

In fact, I couldn't remember anything from my wedding… not like Ranger and I were going to stay married for the next fifty years, it would just be nice to remember. I'd have to check the guys' phones and see if they had any more pictures. Or better yet, I'd see if Lester of Bobby could remember. Although, if they could remember, they should have been sober enough to stop us.

Deciding I'd check with them anyway, I headed back into the main room where I found Bobby and Lester sitting side by side on the couch looking absolutely miserable.

"How are you guys feeling?" I asked, perching myself on the arm of the couch.

"Umgnh," responded Lester. At least I know he's alive.

"I drank lots of alcohol," Bobby said. "Then my liver converted the alcohol to acetaldehyde and I drank more alcohol and made more acetaldehyde. Some got turned to acetate… Acetate doesn't hurt you. I just drank too much for my liver to keep up and the acetaldehyde built up and I have a hangover."

"No more medi-speak," Lester mumbled.

"You made too much acetaldehyde too," Bobby told him.

"You're an ass-hide," Lester mumbled.

"Acetaldehyde," Bobby corrected.

I realized I wasn't getting anything out of them right now, and I seriously doubted from how they were acting that they were going to remember anything. Going to the bar, I got two glasses and filled them with water for the guys then found a bottle of aspirin from my purse. Taking them to the couch, I gave the guys my offerings and got mumbled thanks.

At a loss as to what to do next, I wandered into Ranger's room to see how he was making out. On his bed, I found weapons cases that he was boxing back up, so I plopped myself on the bed next to them.

"Hey, Hubby," I said.

"Babe," he replied in a voice that made it clear he didn't appreciate the nickname.

"Yes," I asked, fluttering my eyelashes.

"Shouldn't you be freaking out or in denial instead of messing with me?"

Cocking my head to the side, I thought about if for a minute before answering. "Probably, but I'm not, so I decided to make the best of the situation."

"Babe, teasing me isn't the best of the situation," he said, giving me a wolf grin and letting his eyes go dark.

"I believe we took care of that last night," I said, blushing a little.

"Yeah, but neither of us remember, so our marriage may not actually be consummated."

"Consummated?" I asked, trying to arch a brow. "Maybe we should deal with actually being married first."

As much appeal as the idea of consummating with him had, I wasn't sure if I could handle it. I may have been taking the whole 'we're married' thing well, but that was because I wasn't letting my feelings get involved… which was taking a lot of effort. If I consummated, my feelings would get involved. As it was, I was studiously not thinking about the consummation I couldn't remember.

The thing I was most afraid of, was the part of me that loved Ranger. I'd been working very hard to keep those feelings buried, but right now they were trying to escape and go all giddy at the idea of being married to him while realistically I knew this didn't mean anything. Still, that tiny, secret part of me that begged for Ranger to love me back was experiencing some hope and feeding of the whole situation.

These thoughts were getting a bit dangerous, and while I was thinking them Ranger was watching me. I really hope he wasn't reading them as they flew across my face. Maybe he would just think they were weird contortions as I tried to lift an eyebrow.

"Babe," he said, letting me know that he had at least read some of it.

Thankfully, we were interrupted before he could get any further.

"You got the gear packed up and ready to be sent back?" Tank asked. The gear couldn't go on the planes and had been borrowed from the same place Ranger had borrowed a Rangeman on my last trip to Vegas.

"Just about," Ranger replied.

"Oh, and Bomber, Lester and Bobby are asking for you. They just found backgrounds similar to mine on their phones."

"Did you tell them?"

"Nope. Figured I'd leave that up to one of you since you abandoned me to waking them and their dates."

"Where are their dates?" I asked.

"Left," Tank said simply.

That probably means they weren't that hung-over. Maybe they had been at the wedding and would have remembered, I thought, regretting that I had missed them. Oh well, I shrugged it off as I slipped out of Ranger's room before he could question me. I'm sure being questioned by Lester and Bobby wouldn't be nearly as bad.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

A/N: Well, let me know what you think so far! Also, is Steph being too un-reactive? I kind of see her confused, in shock, in denial and in denial that a little part of her is secretly happy… is that how it's sounding? Let me know!


	4. Chapter 3

_I don't own them and I'm not making any money…_

_Thank you all so much for reading and for all of the wonderful reviews! _

**What Happens in Vegas…**

**Chapter 3**

"What the Hell is this?" Lester demanded, holding up his phone as I walked into the main room of the suite.

"Let me see," I said, taking the phone.

In the picture, Ranger and I were standing in front of a man dressed as a priest. Tank was standing to Ranger's right and Lester was to my left. And he was holding my bouquet and wearing a huge pink bow pinned to his shirt.

"Looks like you're my maid of honor," I said shrugging.

"But the whole thing," he said, waving his hand in a large circular motion over the phone.

"It would seem Ranger and I got married," I replied.

"Shit," both he and Bobby said in unison as Bobby grabbed my hand to examine the rings.

"Nice rings though," Bobby said.

"Yeah," I agreed, glancing at them and feeling that suspicious flutter again.

"So what are you going to do?" Lester asked.

"We haven't gotten that far between the hangovers, being in shock, having to pack and you guys interrupting. We're just going to deal with it when we get back to Trenton."

"That's enough gossiping," Tank said, interrupting us. "You two need to go get ready to leave."

"Yes ma'am," Lester said, saluting and turning towards his room.

"Wait!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah," he and Bobby responded.

"Do either of you remember last night?"

"The last thing I remember is doing shots with the blonde I woke up with while watching you and Ranger behave inappropriately on the dance floor. After that, I've got nothing," said Bobby.

"I vaguely remember getting to the club…" said Lester slowly. "But you were all over Ranger in the limo."

"Oh God," I said, hanging my head. I'm never, ever drinking again.

The guys went off to pack and I settled into the couch to zone. I still wasn't feeling that great and I had no idea how much sleep I had actually gotten. So I decided a nap was in order. Problem was, that's when my brain decided to fire up and let me start freaking out a bit more.

What were Ranger and I really going to do? It's not like we could just stay married. We didn't even have that kind of relationship. I wasn't really looking forward to another divorce, but that's probably how this would end. I never thought I'd be divorcing one of my best friends.

That's when I started to wonder what this would do to the friendship relationship Ranger and I did have. It wasn't like there were any bad feelings between us, but once we'd reacted to this could we stay friends? Would things go back to normal? Would we get divorced immediately? If not, would I live in my apartment and he at the Batcave like nothing had happened? That would be weird. And what about Joe?

Shit. Joe. We had broken up recently, but I'm not sure if he got the message that it was for good this time since we hadn't had that final talk yet. He more than likely thought it was another off-again and wasn't going to take my marriage to Ranger well at all. I had a moment of hope that we could keep the entire marriage thing a secret, but in the Burg there are no secrets.

"Hey, Babe. It's time to go," I heard Ranger say.

Opening one eye, I found him standing in front of me, so I held out a hand for him to pull me up off the couch.

"You ready?" he asked.

"Yep. All my stuff's packed and I've checked all the corners and crevices of my room. I was just waiting on you guys."

"Never thought I'd see the day you were waiting on us," he said, giving me a half grin.

"Me either," I said, shooting him a smile also.

After that, we didn't say anything and in a moment I was starting to feel a bit awkward. We were married, we'd apparently slept together again and since we couldn't seem to talk about it, we were trying to act as though things were normal. It wasn't working.

I'd just broken eye contact to stare at the floor when the guys came back into the room carrying their gear.

"Time to go, lovebirds," Bobby sang out. "Go get your stuff."

"Any chance they'll drop this?" I asked Ranger, leaning my head forward to rest on his chest.

"Unlikely," he replied.

"Damn."

After that, Ranger and I went to get our stuff and then Ranger carried a few of my bags as well. He's already a better husband than the Dick, I caught myself thinking then gave myself a mental head smack. That was not a good way to think.

At the airport, we bought tickets and only had to wait about half an hour before our flight was called. I spent the time browsing in the airport gift shop and avoiding the guys. They were starting to make me a bit uncomfortable with their teasing and I could see Ranger getting irritated with them also.

Once we were on the plane, however, we were fine. There were relatively few other passengers, so Tank, Lester and Bobby all immediately passed out and Ranger pulled out some paperwork and started scribbling away. I read the Cosmo I'd picked up in the gift store.

"Babe?" Ranger said about half an hour into the flight.

"Yeah?" I responded, not looking up from my magazine. I was in the middle of an article on the reasons most relationships fail and how to avoid them… too bad I couldn't find 'drunkenly getting married but not meaning it' on the list.

"Want to have some of our talk?"

"Not really," I said, and immediately regretted it when I saw his face go more blank than it had been. "I don't mean I don't want to talk. It's just this isn't going to be a comfortable talk and I'm not fond of flying. I'd rather do this when we're not at 37,000 feet."

"Alright, Babe," he replied, giving me a little nod and smile before going back to his paperwork.

Turning back to my magazine, I was distracted by the light snoring coming from the guys. Before I knew it, I felt a massive yawn split my face. I would love to be able to take a nap, but I can never sleep on planes. Except for the flight out to Vegas. I'd curled into Ranger's side as he did paperwork like he was now and fell right to sleep. That means I can sleep on planes I told myself as I grabbed the blanket I had brought and covered up with it.

I spent about ten minutes flipping this way and that in my seat but couldn't get comfortable. This wasn't going to work. But I was so exhausted.

Giving myself an eye roll, I picked up my blanket and went to stand by Ranger.

"Yeah, Babe?" he asked after a minute of me standing there.

"I can't sleep on planes."

"You slept the whole flight out here on my shoulder."

"Exactly."

"You want to use me as a pillow?"

"Please. I'm tired and the guys are sleeping and I don't think I can take it much more."

"Okay. Sit down and get comfy," he said, moving his legs to the side so I could get into the seat beside him.

Settling myself in, I tried not to look at him since I was well aware of how awkward this was. It may tell you how addicted to sleep I seem to be though. Once I'd settled in, I flipped up the armrest that was between us and curled onto Ranger. I was immediately more comfortable.

"Thanks," I mumbled and then I was out.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

'Boing' I heard from a deep sleep, and then I heard a whispered, "Shhh, you're gonna wake them."

"Too late," I heard and knew it was Ranger from the vibrations I felt from using his chest as a pillow.

"And why is the shutter sound of your phone set on 'boing'?" I heard, this time identifying the voice as Bobby.

"I blame the drunkenness," said Lester.

"Shut up," mumbled Ranger, causing me to tilt my head up to see him.

I was surprised to see he'd been sleeping too. He had reclined his seat and stolen most of my blanket. That was okay though since I was resting mostly on his chest and so I was still under the blanket.

"Huh?" I asked, looking up at him.

"You two were sleeping and you looked so sweet," Lester said, in an attempt at a sugary voice. "We wanted to take a picture to add to the wedding album we're going to make."

"Ungh," was all I replied as I buried my face in Ranger's chest and pulled the blanket over my head.

"Yeah, we're scared," Bobby said laughing, so I assumed Ranger was glaring at them.

I few moments later, I heard retreating footsteps, so I peeked my head out from under the blanket. All clear.

"Sorry about the guys, Babe," he said, wrapping an arm around me.

"It'll be okay," I replied, snuggling into his chest a bit more before remembering that I should feel awkward. And then the awkwardness came on full force.

"Babe?" Ranger asked. He must have felt me tensing up.

"Sorry, I just remembered the whole situation we've got," I said, starting to pull away.

"Wait," he said, tightening his arms around me so I couldn't get up. "I know you don't want to talk yet, but please don't back away from me."

"What?" I asked. That was a very un-Ranger like thing to say.

"We're friends. I don't want to loose that over this."

"Okay," I said, touched that he wouldn't want me out of his life. That in mind, I made a concentrated effort to relax again, but it wasn't really working.

"It's going to be okay," he said after a few minutes as he rubbed circles on my back. "We're still about two hours out of Trenton, so why don't you go back to sleep?"

"Alright," I said, trying to squirm off of him, but he wouldn't let me so I gave up and snuggled into his chest once again.

Within moments I was asleep again. I don't think I'll ever be able to fly without Ranger again.

The next time I woke, it was to Ranger gently poking me in the side.

"Babe, wake up," he was saying as I fluttered my eyelids open.

"Hungh?"

"We're landing in a few minutes and I need to sit my seat back up."

"Oh," I said, moving myself fully into the seat beside him so he could sit up. Then I just sat there.

"You need to buckle up."

"Oh yeah." I'm really not the most with it person when I first wake up.

Rubbing my eyes, I stretched and twisted in my seat to look for the guys. I found them sitting all in one row playing a game of poker and smacking each other upside the head when they thought someone had looked in their cards.

A moment later, a stewardess came out and gave us the 'buckle up, here's how we land' spiel. Landing was my least favorite part and I felt my stomach getting all squishy already. When I felt the plane actually begin to descend, I snapped my eyes shut and held my breath.

"Breath, Babe," I heard a moment later as Ranger took my hand.

Taking a deep breath like he said, I focused on the feeling where our hands were joined. I was trying to sap strength from Ranger and I think it was working… that or my hormones were distracting me with the tingly feeling I had going up my arm. I completely forgot about the plane as the feelings intensified when Ranger started playing with my fingers and then twisting my rings around.

"It's over. You can open you eyes now," he said minutes later.

Peeking first one and then the other open, I looked out the window and saw that we were in fact on the ground and completely stopped. A moment later, I heard the engines shut off and let out a relieved sigh.

Once off the plane, we got our luggage and got out of the airport. I could tell that the crowds were making the guys nervous since they didn't have any weapons on them.

In the parking lot, I saw two shiny, black Broncos and figured they were our rides. My guess was confirmed when the guys headed straight for one and Ranger led me to the other. The guys loaded theirs up and were out of the parking lot before Ranger and I had even gotten into the vehicle.

We got ours loaded and Ranger headed for the drivers seat and I climbed into the passenger seat. Then, instead of starting the car, Ranger just sat there for a moment before turning to me.

"Yes?" I asked when he still didn't speak.

"This feels strange."

"How so?" I asked, although I was pretty sure I knew what he was talking about.

"I don't really know how to explain. We're married. We care about one another. But I'm taking you to your apartment and going to mine. It just feels strange."

"I understand," I admitted. I was just shocked that he was feeling it too.

The entire situation was wreaking havoc on my emotions. I love him. I'm married to him. And I have to act like we're nothing but good friends like always. Because of the denial time and how normal Ranger had been acting, my mind had begun to accept the idea as something we (and by we I mean he) would deal with. My heart on the other hand was getting very confused.

While these thoughts were going through my mind, I registered Ranger firing up the car and heading for my apartment building. We made the drive in silence and when we arrived at my lot, I didn't protest when Ranger wanted to come up since he was carrying my bags.

"Let me just make sure it's safe," he said, motioning for me to stay in the hall with my luggage while he cleared my apartment. He was definitely looking more comfortable now that he had the gun he'd retrieved from a safe in the Bronco.

A few moments later, I got the all clear and grabbed a bag to carry in. Ranger retrieved the others and then leaned against my counter staring at me. Looks like the time had come for the dreaded talk.

"You ready to have that talk?" Ranger asked.

"No. But since I never will be, now's as good as ever." I really had calmed down about the whole idea; I just wasn't looking forward to the whole legal process of dealing with our marriage.

"Where do you want to do this?"

"How about the couch," I suggested.

He just gave me a nod and pushed off from the counter and headed for the living room. Before following him, I reached into my fridge and went to grab two beers before remembering that was what had gotten us into this mess in the first place. Instead, I filled two glasses with water and carried them into the living room and joined Ranger on the couch.

"So," I said. Hadn't we been here before?

"So," Ranger agreed. "How far did we get the last couple of times we tried this?

"I think all we've got so far is we're married, we were both freaked out and our mothers were going to kill us." I said.

"Our mothers," Ranger said giving a resigned sigh. "I think that falls under the first thing we need to deal with. Do we tell anyone?"

"They're going to find out anyway. Lula and Connie will know, because they have super powers at sensing anything I want to keep a secret and will the guys really be able to keep their mouths shut."

"No," Ranger admitted. "In fact, half of Rangeman probably already knows."

"What?!" I asked. I wasn't ready for that. It would hit the Burg vine and my phone would be ringing off the hook. That in mind, I jumped up and switched off the ringer before I forgot.

"Nothing we could do to stop it short of shipping them to a third world country," Ranger said, smiling a little. "And they know how to get out of third world countries pretty well."

"You're going to need to go to dinner with my family," I warned Ranger.

Even if we were to end our marriage immediately, I couldn't see my mother accepting it until she had spoken to both of us. She'd try to convince us to stay married, because after all, who else has a 32 year old daughter divorced twice?

"And my family is going to demand to meet you," Ranger said.

We were both sitting there, not knowing what to say because neither of us seemed to want to bring up the subject of divorce. I actually let out a relieved sigh when Ranger's phone rang.

"Yo," he answered. "Be there in fifteen."

"What's up?" I asked as he hung up.

"There was a break in at a high profile client's office building. The guys weren't back ten minutes when it came in. I have to go take care of this. I'm sorry to put off talking again, would you mind waiting until tomorrow?"

"Nope," I said, giving a mental sigh of relief.

"Thanks, Babe," he said, standing and pulling me up to stand with him. Then his eyes got intense and I felt my mouth go dry. "Since we are married, can I kiss you goodnight?"

My heart screamed yes, but my mind screamed no. I could feel myself getting pulled closer and closer to Ranger and it was getting harder and harder to push back the warm feelings of love I had for him. But I needed to keep them under control or I'd never survive this…

"Yes," I finally whispered.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

A/N: Well, they're back in Trenton! You all are turning me into a review slut, so please review… and tell me how you think everyone is going to react to the news!


	5. Chapter 4

_They're not mine, and I don't own them… _

_Thank you all so much for reading and for all of the wonderful reviews! And thanks Harmne for editing and helping this make sense!_

**What Happens in Vegas…**

**Chapter 4**

Ranger had kissed me senseless and then he left to save the world. I won't admit how long it took me to regain my composure, but then again, I'm not quite sure myself. Checking the clock, I saw it was late, but between that kiss and napping on the plane I was too wired to sleep. Instead I said hello to Rex and confirmed that Hal had taken care of him before starting to unpack from the trip.

By the time I put away the last few items, though, that my natural affinity for sleep kicked in and I felt myself getting tired. A short shower, quick peanut butter and olive sandwich and I fell to sleep like a baby.

Crawling out of bed the next morning, I stretched and stumbled my way to the bathroom. Once there, it took me a minute to remember the events of the past few days, but when I did, I pulled my hand up to my face and spent a good five minutes just staring at the rings that were still on my finger. I'd really married Ranger. At least the freak out factor was diminishing each time I realized it had actually happened.

I took a quick shower just to freshen up, since I'd showered last night. Once out, I dressed and got ready for the day. I knew Ranger had an early appointment and I figured he'd call me when he was through. I couldn't just sit around here waiting on him or I'd go crazy thinking. I may be taking this marriage thing well, but a long stretch of time to think would not be a good thing.

Deliberating over what to do, I discovered I really only had two options. Office or my parents. The office won out easily because I was in no way ready to face my mother.

It wasn't until I was heading out the door, however, that I remembered the rings. I couldn't go to the office wearing them, so I turned around and walked back into my apartment giving them a death stare. How to get them off…

Giving them a gentle pull, I found they still wouldn't slide over my knuckle. I'd learned from last time, though, and didn't continue pulling. Instead, I headed for my bathroom and smeared a little lotion over the knuckle. After that the rings slid off pretty easily.

That left me with another problem. What to do with them. I felt bad leaving them sit in the bathroom and was irrationally worried they'd fall down the sink. When I tried to leave them in my jewelry box, I couldn't stop thinking about them. In the end, I only felt at ease when I slipped them into the small pouch inside of my purse. That way, I wouldn't misplace them but also wouldn't be wearing them…

That done, I headed for the lot, hopped into my Mini. The trip to the office was over much more quickly than I had been ready for. Before I knew it, I was parked out front having a stare down with the door. What I was really worried about was whether or not the girls would immediately be able to tell what had gone on in Vegas. Or they may know already if Tank had updated Lula on the weekend… if so, it would be all over town. I hadn't checked my messages, so I didn't know what the Burg vine was circulating.

I was still having my stare down when my phone rang, nearly causing me to jump out of my skin.

"Hello," I answered.

"Hey, white girl," said Lula. "Are you going to get your skinny ass in here or am I gonna have to come out there and get you?"

"I'm coming," I sighed, then hung up.

Taking a deep breath, I climbed out of my car and headed for the door. I could do this. Then I saw Connie and Lula sitting in wait. They looked like predators ready to pounce. I couldn't do this. Too late.

"You got married to Ranger?" they shrieked at the same time.

"How did you hear?" I asked, not sure I really wanted to know.

"Tank showed me the pictures," Lula said, glaring at me. Uh oh. "You got married and you didn't feel the need to tell us?"

"Uh, I wasn't exactly planning on getting married. Then I was dealing with waking up really hung over and married," I answered.

"You're Mom's freaking over the drunken, Vegas wedding, by the way," Connie interjected. "She's called five times already this morning looking for you."

"So the entire Burg knows?" I asked praying it was only my mother.

"Yep. We've already gotten calls from all of the biggest gossips in the Burg. You've done it again."

"Ungh," I said, plopping into a chair in front of Connie's desk. And today would be the one day there wasn't a box of doughnuts sitting there. "So any files for me."

"Yeah, but you're not getting them till you tell us everything," Connie said, handing the files to Lula for safe keeping.

"There's really not much to tell," I said, praying it would work.

"Nuh uh, Girlfriend," Lula said, giving me an intimidating glare.

"Really," I argued. "I was incredibly drunk. I don't remember."

"Well, how about telling us how you ended up drunk with Batman and the Merry Men," Connie suggested.

"We'd been looking for our skip for a few days; we caught him, and then went out to dinner to celebrate and according to the guys we went out to a club. I don't remember anything after shots before dinner."

"Damn," Lula said.

"What about the next morning?" Connie asked.

"Woke up in severe pain. Fell back asleep. Woke up again. Ranger and I ordered the cure. We freaked out a bit about waking up together. I went to shower and calm down and then I noticed the rings and we freaked out some more. We were just getting around to talking when we had to leave."

"Wait!" Lula exclaimed. "You woke up with Batman. That means you must ha…."

"Stop right there," I cut her off. "I was probably the most drunk I have ever been in my entire life. I don't remember anything."

"Dayymn," both she and Connie chorused.

"So, can I have my files now?" I asked.

"No. Show us the rings," Connie demanded.

"I took them off. They didn't feel right," I said, holding up my bare left hand.

"Girl, if you two finally figured it out and got yourselves together, you oughta hold on tight," Lula advised.

"Lula, we're friends. Friends who got drunk and made a mistake. I wouldn't press him into that, and it's not what I want either." But a little part of me told me I was a liar, because a little part of me did want it.

"Humph," she responded.

"Files?" I asked again.

"Sure," Connie replied, motioning for Lula to hand them out. "You sure know how to make a potentially great story boring."

"I'm sorry," I said, seizing my files, "but that's what happened."

With that, I beat a hasty retreat out of the office and drove a couple of blocks before pulling over and looking through my files. There was nothing too extraordinary and nothing I couldn't handle myself.

Closing my eyes and picking a file, I came up with Harriet Lizki, who looked like nothing more than a housewife on edge. She was accused of multiple counts of shoplifting, the latest being a pack of diapers, various cleaning supplies and a 1 pound chocolate bar. Checking the address, I drove slightly outside the Burg and found her house.

I got an answer almost as soon as I knocked on the door. Too bad it wasn't Harriet, but a six year old boy dressed as Batman and his twin dressed as Superman.

"Hi, is your Mom home?" I asked.

They just stared up at me until Batman yelled, "To the Batcave," and they both took off running.

Knocking again, I called a 'hello' into the house and got an answer moments later.

"Sorry," I said, "some superheroes answered the door then took off. Are you Harriet Lizki?"

"Yes, sorry about that. Can I help you?"

"Umm, yeah. I represent your bonds company and I need to take you to reschedule your court date."

"I forgot to reschedule?" she gasped. "My two youngest had a stomach flu that day then it must have slipped my mind!"

"It's okay," I assured her. "We can go down there now and get you rescheduled.

"I can't," she said, looking back into her house. "There's no way I could find a babysitter that quickly."

And we can't take the kids with us, I though. Wonder how many she has in there? After some more thought, there was only one thing I could come up with.

"My mom could watch them. She loves kids and would feed them cookies and do all that grandmother stuff."

"Your mother?" she asked, looking a bit skeptical.

"Oh, sorry, I just suggested you leave your kids with a complete stranger," I said feeling like an idiot.

"Yeah," she agreed.

"It's all I can think of though. How about I call Connie at the office, get her to meet us at the station. You can meet my mom, you'll like her I swear, and then we can go get you rebooked. We'll have everything done in twenty minutes."

"Uh, okay," she said, still looking a bit hesitant. "Let me just get the kids. It may take me awhile to get the boys out of their costumes."

"Don't worry about it," I assured her. "One of my nieces thinks she's a horse so my Mom won't even bat an eye."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Definitely."

"All right."

After that, she showed me into the living room while she rounded up her children. Batman and Superman reappeared along with a little girl who looked to be about four. It wasn't long after that that Harriet came back carrying a toddler and baby bag.

"We're all ready to go," she announced, then started herding her children out to her van. Looks like my FTA is driving us to the station.

The loading process took longer than I would have ever believed, but we eventually got all of the kids into seats and buckled in. Then, I gave her directions across the Burg and in moments we were at my parent's house.

"This is it," I said and we hopped out and got the kids unloaded.

My mom's ability to know I was coming was fooled by the mom-van, but before we made it up the walk she was waiting for us.

"Stephanie?" she asked, looking sufficiently thrown off by the kids that she didn't immediately start going on about my behavior in Vegas.

"Uh, hey Mom. This is Harriet Lizki and I need to take her to the station to rebook. Could you watch her kids? I wouldn't be for more than a half an hour."

"Of course I'll watch them," Mom said, going over to Harriet who was holding the smallest child and introducing herself before making faces at the child. Then, she straightened up and from the look she gave me I had an instant feeling of dread. "But I'll do it on one condition. You have to come to dinner tonight."

Damn. I knew that had been too easy. She hadn't immediately brought up my behavior in Vegas. She hadn't criticized my job, which I was dragging her into, and there had been no mention of me being married. She'd just been calm. Calm isn't good

"Yes, I'll come to dinner," I sighed.

"Good," and with that, she went back to talking to Harriet about the kids and their likes and dislikes. We'd only been there a matter of minutes but I could see Harriet had really warmed up to my mom.

After a few more minutes of talk, Harriet looked to me and told me she was ready to go. She thanked my mom and warned the kids to behave and we were on our way.

"I'm sorry I got you roped into dinner if you were avoiding it," Harriet said once she was driving us to the station.

"I was trying, but it wouldn't work anyway," I replied.

"Your mother seems like such a great woman though," Harriet said.

"She is. I'm just in trouble right now," I answered with a small grin. Right now, I could feel all the humor in a 32 year old being in trouble with her mother.

"Oh," Harriet said, obviously wanting to question more, but restraining herself. She definitely wasn't from the Burg.

The rest of the ride was in silence until we arrived at the police station where we found Connie waiting and with most of the paperwork filled out. Like I had predicted, we were in and out of the station in twenty minutes.

To my relief, I didn't know the desk sergeant and we managed to avoid Joe. If the whole Burg knew I had married Ranger in Vegas, he must have heard by now also and I wanted to avoid that confrontation for as long as possible.

Deciding to worry about that later, I got Harriet back to my mom's so she could pick up her kids. The kids had loved Mom and Mom had loved the kids. Before we left, Harriet even lined Mom up as a back-up baby sitter. Only in my life.

Picking up the Mini, I looked at the clock on the dash and decided it was late enough in the day to pay a visit to Mooner. But first I needed to make a doughnut stop and I should get some gas.

I got two doughnuts at the Tasty Pastry and ate one on the way to the gas station. I was just starting in on the other one when I heard a sound I never liked. A gunshot, followed by a bullet hitting my car. I got as low as possible and floored the gas, speeding away from the shooting.

Probably I'd just gotten in the way of a drive-by I told myself. Or probably not I admitted a moment later. I was still debating what to do when my phone started playing the Batman theme song.

"Yo," I answered.

"Yo, Babe. How's your day going?"

"Pretty good. Got a skip, had my mom baby sit her kids and she agreed to baby sit them again. I was just getting doughnuts and going for gas when my car got shot at. How was your meeting?"

"Your car got shot at?" I hoped he'd miss that since I hid it in the middle of my ramble.

"Uh, yeah, but it only got hit twice."

"Babe," Ranger said in a pained voice. "Will you come to Rangeman so we can take a look at it?"

"Sure," I agreed, knowing I wasn't getting out of it.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Half an hour later, the guys had extracted the bullets from my car and Ranger and I were heading up for the 7th floor. At least the talk about us getting married was being deferred for the talk about me getting shot at…

"Any idea who?" Ranger asked as we walked into the apartment.

"Nope," I answered, flopping onto the couch. "As far as I know, I haven't ticked anyone off lately."

"How many people know about us getting married?"

"Well, Tank told Lula so… probably most of the tri-state area by now. Do you think this could be related to that?"

"I don't know, but we can't rule that out."

"Gah!" I exclaimed, flopping sideways on the couch. Is it really too much to ask not to have some crazy target me for more than a month?

"That pretty much sums it up," Ranger said, sitting on the cushion beside my head and moving my curls off my face.

"I need a nap," I announced.

"Go ahead," Ranger said standing and nodding towards his bedroom.

"I meant at my apartment," I said.

"Babe, you got shot at.'

"Yeah, but that happens pretty frequently."

"Just be careful. And I'll be by later and we can go out for dinner and have our talk."

"No can do," I said. "My mom's condition to watch the kids earlier was I had to come to dinner. You can come if you want."

"Not really," he said, and then looked thoughtful. "But we're going to have to do dinners soon because Tank also told my mother and she's demanding to meet you."

"Oh," I said, sitting up again.

"She's not that bad, Babe, and if you can survive you family you'll be fine."

"That's good to know," I said.

"But before we do the dinner thing," he said taking my hand, "we need to get our stories straight."

"I know. I just don't want to do it right now. Okay?"

"Okay," he agreed, once again playing with my fingers.

Looking down, I realized he had paused at my bare ring finger before moving on. Watching his hands, I saw he wasn't wearing his ring either. I don't know why I'd thought he would, since they didn't really mean anything to us.

"Uh, I'm gonna go have that nap now," I said as I stood up.

"Alright, but be careful," Ranger said standing with me, not letting go of my hand.

I didn't have the heart to pull it free, but the whole idea left my brain when he lowered his mouth to mine. Before I knew what was happening, I was melted into him kissing him like a starving woman. By the time we parted we were both breathing hard and his eyes were pulling me in. I was just stretching up to kiss him again when something inside of my yelled 'no.' And even though it was painful to do so, I listened to it.

"I'm sorry," Ranger eventually said, resting his forehead against mine.

"Yeah, me too," I agreed, wrapping my arms around his waist.

I had a feeling we were both sorry for more than the kiss. I'm not sure what it was for Ranger, but I was beginning to regret what couldn't be between us.

We stood holding one another until a yawn from me reminded us that I had been going home to take a nap. So, with a few more warnings to be careful and no more kisses, I left the apartment and took off in my poor Mini.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

A/N: Please review and let me know what you thought! I love all of your wonderful feedback!


	6. Chapter 5

_I don't own them and I'm not making any money…_

_Thank you all so much for reading and for all of the wonderful reviews! Also, thanks Harmne and Haleigh.l for proof-reading and cleaning up my rambling ;)_

**What Happens in Vegas…**

**Chapter 5**

After I made it back to my apartment, I took my nap as planned. When the alarm rang an hour later, turning it off and falling back to sleep was not part of the plan. The next time I woke up, the afternoon had disappeared and I had a half an hour to get to my parents for dinner.

Currently I was racing around my apartment in my underwear, with wet hair and makeup half done. It was still twenty of six, which meant I had fifteen minutes to finish getting ready. I dried my hair and added enough styling product that it wasn't out of control and pulled on what I hoped was an acceptable outfit. Glancing at the clock, I saw I was out of time, so I grabbed my makeup bag to apply the rest as I drove.

Despite nearly putting my eye out with my mascara wand, I made it with one minute to spare. As I pulled up, I found my mother and grandmother waiting on me with my mother was watching the clock.

"Sit before the roast gets dry," she ordered as I walked through the door.

Going to the table, I found it was a full Plum family function tonight with Valerie, Albert and the girls present.

The tension at the table was palpable as we started dinner. I could practically see my mother restraining herself from asking the questions that were on her mind. She was trying to wait me out and make me explain myself first. She was going to have to keep on waiting though, because I wasn't starting that conversation.

"Aunt Steph," Mary Alice finally said, "Is it true you got married?"

"Yes, Sweetie," I said, gritting my teeth against what I knew was coming.

"Why wasn't I invited to the wedding?" she asked.

"That's a good question, Mary Alice," Mom said. "Stephanie?"

"Nobody was at the wedding," I said, still addressing Mary Alice. "It was kind of a surprise."

I heard my mother gasp at this. "Kind of?"

"I was surprised," I muttered.

"So it's true?" Grandma piped up. "You got drunk and woke up married to that hottie of a bounty hunter."

"His name's Ranger," I said, wishing the ground would open and swallow me.

"What about Joseph?" Mom asked.

"I haven't talked to him, but I'm sure I'll be hearing from him soon."

"So if you and this Ranger are married, what are you going to do? Where are you going to live? Are you going to bring him for dinner?" Mom fired off.

"Mom, please calm down. We're still working on figuring out what we're going to do about the situation. Neither of us were really planning on marriage. I'm still living at my apartment. And I'll bring him for dinner soon."

"So you and Ranger are shacked up at your place?" Grandma asked.

"No. I'm at my apartment, he's at his. And technically we wouldn't be shacked up because we're married."

"You aren't living together?" Mom asked in a scandalized tone. She really could be a confusing person… She wanted me to marry Joe, but would get upset when I lived with him. Now she was upset that I married Ranger, but sounded scandalized because I'm not living with him.

"No Mom. Like I said, neither of us were planning on getting married. We're friends. We can't just switch from friends to being husband and wife." I knew I was being vague. Partly it was because I hadn't had this talk with Ranger. But partly it was because I had a sinking feeling this was going to end in divorce and that might send my mother over the edge.

"I still want you to bring him for dinner," Mom said.

"I figured as much and I will," I assured her.

I was just cringing, waiting for her next question when Val caught on to my discomfort. Being the perfect daughter, she hadn't had much experience being the target of my mother's inquisition so it took her awhile to figure out it wasn't going to stop. Thankfully, she stepped in and offered a distraction.

"Oh, Mom, I just remembered. Lisa is starting to cut teeth and she's fussing like crazy. Neither Angie nor Mary Alice had so much trouble. What should I do?"

After that, the conversation degraded into baby care and all I had to suffer were a couple of pointed looks from my mother. I suppose they were meant to tell me that since I was married, I should be paying attention as I'd need that information soon. I ignored the looks, not wanting to burst her bubble about me making grandchildren with Ranger. And there go the flutters again. I really needed to get those under control.

Eventually, dinner came to an end with relatively little conversation about my inappropriate marriage or marital status. I did, however, catch a whiff of alcohol when Mom leaned in to give me my dessert, which led me to believe she'd been tippling again.

When I finally escaped, I headed back for my apartment. As soon as I unlocked the door I made for the kitchen to put away my leftovers. It wasn't until I turned towards my room to change that I notice someone sitting on my couch.

"Hey, Cupcake," Joe said, making me jump.

"Joe. Don't do that," I said, trying to regain my breath. "What are you doing here?"

"I just came to congratulate you on your marriage," he said, sounding more than a little bitter.

"Oh." I went into the living room and sat on the couch beside him. "Probably we should talk about that."

"Yeah, Cupcake, we need to talk."

"Alright. Where do you want to start?"

"How about you explain why you felt the need to go to Vegas and marry Manoso, after we had a fight."

"Most of that is unrelated," I stated.

"Then enlighten me."

"We had a fight, and for the record the fight was started when I tried to tell you we weren't going to work out. Anyway, right after the fight, I went to Vegas with the guys to pick up a skip and when we got the skip we went out to celebrate. When I woke up, I was married to Ranger. Happy?"

"Not even close. Let's go back to the part about you telling me we weren't going to work."

"Remember our last fight? That's what I was trying to tell you. I do love you, but I'm sick of the on-again-off-again."

"You could have fixed it by marrying me. You didn't have to go marry Manoso."

"I didn't mean to marry Ranger. I didn't do it to put a stop to our relationship; I'd already decided to do that."

"Then why did you marry him?"

"I don't know. I don't remember anything and I'm not having this conversation with you so change the topic."

"Alright, why'd you go celebrating with Manoso and his goons in the first place? That was just asking for trouble."

"I was perfectly safe," I argued. "They'd never let anything happen to me."

"Listen to what you're saying," Joe said as his volume escalated. "If they wouldn't let anything happen, how did you end up married?"

"We were all drunk. As far as anyone knows it was my idea and Ranger was drunk enough to go along with it."

"More than likely Manoso just wanted in your bed," Joe said in a petulant voice.

"Joe, I hate to break it to you, but if I was that drunk Ranger wouldn't have needed to marry me."

"Shit, I just realized you two must ha…"

"Stop," I cut him off. "That is not open for discussion. What else did you want to talk about?"

"Not much really. Just that when you're done with this thing with Manoso, don't think you can change your mind about us."

"Don't worry, I won't. Can you leave please?"

"Sure. I'll see you around." And then he let himself out.

Locking the door behind him, I rested against if for a minute before sinking to the ground in tears. When I'd realized Joe and I weren't going to work, I'd gone to tell him and try to make him understand why it wouldn't work. We'd had a fight, but I'd hoped once he calmed down, he'd see that the fighting only proved my point and in the end we could be friends. Looks like I screwed that up royally.

I don't know how long I'd been lying beside my door crying my eyes out, but eventually, I heard the lock click. Not really worried, I saw the door swing in about an inch before it hit me.

Rolling out of the way, I watched it open the rest of the way to reveal Tank.

"Bomber, what are you doing on the floor?"

"Resting," I said, praying he'd ignore my tear streaked face.

"Hey, girl, what's wrong?" he asked as soon as he noticed, then crouched himself down to my level.

"Fight with Joe," I said.

"Morelli?" Tank asked as his face went blank.

"Yeah, he was here when I got back from dinner with my parents. He wanted to know about me marrying Ranger. I just told him we were over before I even went to Vegas. I wanted us to stay friends," I said, starting to sob again.

"Hey," Tank said as he scooped me up, giving me a squeeze as he got us standing. "He's upset and it's understandable. That doesn't mean you can't be friends once he calms down and you get everything cleared up about marrying Ranger."

"You think?" I'd gotten the crying stopped, but I was still sniffling.

"Yeah, just give him some time."

"Okay," I said nodding, before suddenly realizing that Tank had literally just shown up at my doorstep. "Uh, what were you doing here in the first place?"

"Someone took a few shots at Ranger. He wants you to come to Rangeman because he thinks it might be related to you getting shot at this morning."

"Is he alright?" I didn't think Tank would be this relaxed if it was serious, but I had to check before I could do anything else.

"He's fine. Just grazed his shoulder. He didn't even have to go to the hospital."

"And what am I going to do at Rangeman?" I asked suspiciously.

"Bombshell," Tank groaned, confirming that I was getting put under protection. "Please don't fight me on this."

"I don't want to stay in a safe house or a Rangman apartment."

"Can you just come with me and take this up with Ranger?"

Taking a deep breath and reminding myself that it really wasn't Tank I had to fight with, I nodded.

"Thank you," Tank said.

"Let's get this over with," I replied, heading for the door.

"Aren't you going to take a bag or something?"

"Nope, that would be like admitting defeat before the discussion even begins."

"Whatever you say," Tank said, following me out the door and locking it behind himself.

Once we were in the car, Tank slipped into silence, but I couldn't really handle that right now. The momentary worry I experienced for Ranger before I knew he was okay set me on edge again. As long as I didn't really think about it, I could pretend we weren't married and things were normal. But if I thought about it, a tiny part of me was beyond happy to be married to Ranger and that little part had had a heart attack at the news he was hurt. Maybe that was why he didn't want a relationship. Because he thought I couldn't handle his life if that little part of me was allowed to grow.

My thoughts had been wandering and before I knew it, we were at Rangeman and Tank was leading me towards the elevator. I was surprised when I saw him hit the button to take us to the control room. I'd figured that I would be sent straight to the seventh floor.

"Why are we going to the fifth floor?" I finally asked him.

"Meeting," he answered.

"I get to come?" I asked, slightly shocked.

"Yeah, you seem to be targeted too. We need to figure out if it's the same person after both of you."

"Huh?" I never got to go to meetings. Usually, the meetings took place and I was informed, or sometimes not informed, once they were over. I think I would like being involved.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

An hour later, I was almost ready to scratch my previous statement that I liked being involved. This meeting was possibly the most boring thing I'd ever had to sit through. And that includes the advanced economics class I took in college with a 300 year old professor who spoke in a monotone.

As it was, I was struggling to pay attention. Now that I was finally getting included, I wasn't going to blow it by falling asleep in the meeting or something. It was just so hard.

The beginning hadn't been so bad when both Ranger and I had gone over everything we could remember from the shootings. Then, the guys had asked questions and bounced around ideas, which had been okay because it was interactive. After that, however, the reports on the bullets used on Ranger were brought back and compared to the analysis of the bullets used to shoot my car. The guys went into gun-talk that I didn't follow at all, so I felt myself zoning out.

When I thought that was through, they started going on about… honestly I'm not sure what they were talking about. There was stuff about the probability of us having a common attacker, and stuff about the probability of us getting attacked on the same day without it being the same person. Like I said, I didn't follow the conversation.

Finally, after an interminable amount of time, the meeting ended. The guys trickled out of the room until just Ranger and I were left.

"Good job, Babe," he told me, giving me the half smile.

"Huh?" I asked, not really understanding what I'd done to deserve praise.

"You paid attention and kept making an effort even after it turned to things you didn't understand."

"I like being involved."

"I know, that's why I sent Tank to get you before the meeting."

"So I'm needed for after the meeting?"

"We really need to talk and the list of topics seems to be growing."

"I know," I admitted.

"You want to do this here or on the seventh floor?"

"Seventh floor," I decided. At least there I could curl up on the couch and there would be a chance of finding a snack.

"I'll have Ella send up some snacks," Ranger said with a grin, doing the ESP thing.

With that, we headed upstairs and were just settling in when Ella arrived. She placed the tray on the bar in the kitchen the let herself out. And there went my last chance of distraction.

"Let's start with the shootings," Ranger said.

"Okay. It seemed like you guys pretty much agreed that it was the same person."

"It looks that way, and more than likely it's related to us getting married. We don't know the seriousness of the treat yet, but I'd still like you to stay here."

"Ranger, I can't come running here just because I got shot at. I also can't deal with getting locked up while someone else looks for my psycho."

"Our psycho," Ranger corrected before continuing. "And you wouldn't be locked up. I'm more comfortable with you here and secure, than alone at your apartment."

"And you think that because we're married, you can just tell me what to do?" I asked, knowing the question was irrational but not able to stop it.

"No, Babe, I have no illusions that being married to you would mean I could control you. I just want you safe."

"Alright. Let's go back to the part about me not getting locked up. How would I not be locked up here?"

"You could come and go like normal, you'll just have someone go with you. And one of the guys will be your backup when you go after skips."

"Ranger! I don't need a body guard," I protested, starting to get angry. I may not be getting locked up, but I was still losing a lot of freedom

"I know it sucks, Babe, and I don't like it any better than you. If it makes you feel better, I won't be going out alone either."

"Really?" I asked.

"Babe, this person shot at us and we have no idea what kind of a threat he is yet. Also, he shot at your car, but he was actually aiming at me. It would be a good bet that it's someone fixated on and you wanting to eliminate me."

"What?' I asked with my eyes going wide. I didn't want Ranger hurt, let alone eliminated because of me.

"That's why we get bodyguards. Are you going to go along with this?"

"Yeah," I nodded. I could deal with it if Ranger could.

"Now, the next thing we have to deal with is where you're staying. The fourth floor's full, but I can have one of the apartments cleared if you really don't want to stay up here with me."

"No, don't do that. I can stay here," I said. "We are after all married."

"And that's probably the next thing we should take care of," Ranger said, sighing.

"Alright, I guess it is time, but first can we go get some stuff from my apartment?"

"Sure," Ranger said, giving me a little smile then motioning me towards the door as he grabbed a set of keys.

We took the Porsche. The ride to my apartment was silent, but it wasn't the normal silence brought on by Ranger's zone. This was almost uncomfortable. 'The talk' was now scheduled for when we got back to Rangeman, and with it waiting and lurking over us. There wasn't really much else we could talk about.

Pulling into my lot, we both got out of the car and headed upstairs. I moved to take the elevator, but Ranger stopped me. He was taking the stairs and so was I, since apparently I could get ambushed somewhere in between.

At my door, Ranger pulled out his gun and motioned for me to stay in the hall way while he cleared the apartment. I waited. And waited. And just when I was starting to worry I heard Ranger call out.

"Babe, it's all clear, but you better come in and see this."

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

A/N: I hope you liked it! Please Review and let me know…


	7. Chapter 6

_Once again, I don't own them and I'm not making any money… Thank you all for reading and for all the wonderful reviews. I'm sorry this chapter took a bit longer than normal, I'll try to do better with the next. _

**What Happens in Vegas…**

**Chapter 6**

_At my door, Ranger pulled out his gun and motioned for me to stay in the hall way while he cleared the apartment. I waited. And waited. And just when I was starting to worry I heard Ranger call out._

"_Babe, it's all clear, but you better come in and see this."_

Standing with my hand on the door knob, I debated whether I really wanted to go in there or not. God only knows what had happened this time. After a few minutes, I decided that eventually, I'd have to go in. Now I just had to do it.

"Babe?" came from within the apartment.

"I'm coming," I answered, summoning up my courage and pushing the door open.

Inside, I found that my apartment had once again been vandalized. And it wasn't even done creatively. Things had just been strewn about, emptied, knocked over and off of surfaces. It was a mess, but no real damage seemed to have been done. At least it hadn't been set on fire and there were no body parts this time.

"Babe?" Ranger asked again when he saw me just standing there staring.

"Why does this always happen to me? Why didn't the psycho wreck your apartment?"

"Because mine is at the top of a secure building and only accessible with a key pad," Ranger answered logically.

"I guess this proves your point," I said, sighing and heading for my bedroom to look for stuff to pack.

Finding everything wasn't hard, as every article of clothing I owned was strewn about my floor. Grabbing a bag which had been pulled down from my closet shelf, I started picking things up and throwing them in. When I was done, I crawled around my bathroom floor looking for the necessities before returning to the living.

In my living room, I came upon one of the strangest things I had ever seen. Ranger was kneeling on the floor, looking under the couch with his ass in the air. Stifling a giggle, I watched him reach a hand under the couch, withdraw it and try again. I couldn't help it after that, and the giggle escaped me.

"Do you want to try?" Ranger asked when he turned to the sound.

"What are you doing?"

"Not only was all your stuff dumped but so was Rex's cage. He's under the couch not wanting to be caught."

"Rex?' I asked, quickly joining Ranger on the floor. Poor Rex, he would sometimes make a bid for freedom when I was cleaning his cage, but once he was free he never liked it. And he always hid under the couch in that spot way in the back where I couldn't reach him.

In the end, it took both of us half an hour, a broom and a laundry basket to get Rex out from under the couch and capture him. Once he was caught, I quickly grabbed him, careful to avoid his teeth since he was sure to be worked up, and dropped him back in his cage. His shavings had been dumped all over the floor, so I added some more and picked up his soup can, promising I'd do more to fix his tank up later.

Ranger grabbed my bag and headed for the door and, with one last look at my wrecked apartment, I picked up Rex and followed. This time, we took the elevator back to the ground floor and headed across the lot towards the dumpster where Ranger was parked.

When we arrived at the Porsche I felt myself cringe. By the light of the street lamp I could see a long silver scratch, running the length of the car, keyed into the black paint. Looking on the other side we found a matching mark. It had to have been the person who shot at us and wrecked my apartment because no one else would be stupid enough to do that. It was kind of common knowledge that I was the only one that ever got away with harming Ranger's vehicles.

"Not good, Babe," Ranger said, staring at the scratch on the driver's side.

"I'm sure Al can fix it," I assured him.

"Of course Al can fix it, but that's not what I was talking about. This means he followed us. Let's get back to Rangeman, I feel exposed here."

Just as he said that, shots rang out and I heard the sound of bullets embedding themselves in the car. I reflexively ducked down and crouched over Rex's cage. Ranger pulled his gun and turned to where the shots had come from.

When it was quiet for about a minute, he motioned me to get up and get in the car. Then he followed me in and we took off for the safety of the Rangeman building. I was suddenly feeling quite glad to be staying there.

After a couple of blocks, I released the death-grip I had on Rex's cage and stuck my finger in his soup can to rub his head and make sure he was okay. For some reason that action made Ranger laugh out loud.

"What?" I asked.

"Only you, Babe, would have maternal instincts aimed at hamsters. You were protecting that cage with your body."

"He's a good listener," I said, defending my affection for my pet.

"Babe," Ranger said and then slipped back into his zone.

The rest of the trip was made in silence. When we were back to the building, we headed straight for the seventh floor, but Ranger didn't stay. He said he needed to go fill the guys in on the break in at my apartment, the shooting in my parking lot and have them dust the car and apartment for prints. He told me to get myself settled in and he would be back up for our talk as quickly as possible.

So now I was facing the challenge of settling myself into Rangers space… again. The difference was, this time he was here. I wasn't sure what to do with my stuff. Did I hang my clothing in the closet or did I live out of my bag. Whenever I lived with Joe, I left my things in my laundry basket which made it easier when I moved out. Somehow, that didn't feel right with Ranger.

After some thought, I remembered how Ranger had move into my apartment during the Scrog mess and my conundrum was solved. I decided to go ahead and stick my stuff in the closet, bathroom and where ever else it needed to go to be settled.

I was all unpacked and just feeding Rex a couple whole wheat crackers I had found in Ranger's cupboard, when Ranger returned.

"Hey, Babe," he said, when he spotted me in the kitchen.

"Hey. You get everything taken care of?" I asked, stalling for time before we got down to our talk.

"Yeah. You ready to talk?"

"I gue-e-s-s," I said thought a huge yawn. That's when I looked at the clock. It was after midnight.

"You want to put it off another day?" Ranger asked, doing some ESP when he saw me yawn.

"Please. It's been a long day what with getting shot at, dinner with my family, a fight with Joe, you getting shot and my apartment getting wrecked. I just want to sleep."

"You had a fight with Joe?" Ranger asked, of course focusing in on that.

"Yeah, he was at my apartment when I got back from my parents. He'd heard about us getting married and wasn't very happy."

"Are you two going to be okay?"

"No, but we were done before the trip to Vegas. Now it's just questionable if we can still be friends."

"Babe, I'm sorry," Ranger said.

"Don't be," I said, giving him a weak smile. "Joe's just jealous he never thought to take me to Vegas and get me drunk enough to marry him."

"Probably," Ranger said, giving me a smile now.

After that, I let out another ear splitting yawn, so Ranger sent me off to get ready for bed. I washed my face, brushed my teeth, pilfered one of his t-shirts to sleep in and was standing in the middle of the room at a loss when Ranger walked in.

"Couch or bed, Babe?" he asked.

That was exactly what I'd been wondering. I wasn't sure how long this living arrangement was going to last and I didn't want to be stuck on the couch for a long period of time. But if I slept in the bed, Ranger would be there. We'd been able to share a bed before though and I'd controlled myself, so I could now…

"Bed," I finally answered.

"Alright. Why don't you get yourself tucked in? I'm gonna grab a shower and I'll be out in a few minutes."

He headed into the bathroom and I climbed into bed. I love his sheets! I was tossing and turning as I listened to the shower, unable to relax thanks to images of Ranger in the shower that kept popping into my head. Eventually, he came out of the bathroom wearing his silk boxers and joined me in bed.

Feeling awkward, I flipped over so my back was to him and tried once again to get comfortable. I was just about to try another position when Ranger grabbed my waist and pulled my back to his front. Realizing this was what I had been looking for, I let myself relax and fell asleep surrounded by the smell of Ranger and fresh Bulgari.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Hours later, I was jerked from a deep sleep by the sound of an alarm. I started to reach out for it, trying to find it and make it stop when a hand grabbed my wrist. Immediately freezing, I spent a moment to take stock of my surroundings.

My momentary fear had brought me quickly awake, but it quickly ended when I remembered I was at Rangeman and realized the hand belonged to Ranger. When he released my wrist, he reached out and shut off the alarm and I took notice of how we were laying. Ranger was on his back, with one arm wrapped around me and I was lying on my stomach, across his chest with my head on his shoulder and one leg between his.

"Sorry," I whispered as I slid off of him.

"Don't worry about it. I like waking up like that," he said, leaning over and pressing a kiss to my scary morning hair before getting off the bed. "I'm gonna go for a run and take a shower, you go back to sleep. It's still early."

"Mkay," I said, already feeling the effects of being awake too early. I wasn't going to make it much longer.

I remember him going into the bathroom but not coming out. I was very thankful of Ranger's ability to not make a sound as he moved about since it meant I didn't hear him getting ready for his run. Then again, it's not like I'm a light sleeper.

The next thing I knew, I felt a hand moving up and down my side and a pair of lips pressing themselves to my forehead.

"Wake up, Babe," I heard from above me.

"Nuh uh," I said, pulling the blanket up over my head.

And then the blanket was gone.

"It's 8:45, time to be up."

"Too early," I argued, blindly searching for another blanket.

"Babe, if you don't get up you're going to miss breakfast when Ella delivers it."

That got me moving. I was relatively certain that Ella would bring me breakfast later if I asked, but I didn't want to test the theory.

"That's a low blow," I grumbled sitting up and rubbing my eyes.

"I know," Ranger said, picking me up off the bed and pointing me in the direction of the bathroom. "Now go shower and by the time you're done breakfast will be here."

"Mkay," I said, shuffling towards the bathroom.

Once there, I took care of Mother Nature then climbed into the shower. This definitely beats staying at my apartment, I thought. Ranger's shower was wonderful with it's multiple shower heads, unlimited hot water and Bulgari shower gel. Lathering up with the Bulgari, I remembered the last time I had used it a couple nights ago before going out with the guys and waking up married to Ranger…

That led to serious thoughts that really brought me down from my shower high. Today we were going to have to have 'the talk.' I really wasn't looking forward to it. I guess it was time though… We'd been married now for about three days and still hadn't addressed the issue. To be honest, I just wanted us to go back to the way things were. Sure there had been the whole 'Ranger doesn't do relationships' thing, but this had potential to hurt us.

I was just sulking over this thought, when I noticed I was starting to get seriously pruney so I shut off the water and wrapped myself in a fluffy towel. I ran some gel though my hair, but decided to let it air dry. Then, peeking around the bathroom door into the bedroom, I held my towel to myself as I headed for the dressing area off Ranger's closet.

Eventually, I was dressed, styled and had applied a full face of makeup. There was nothing left for me to do to put off going out to the kitchen and meeting Ranger.

So, feeling like I was facing the gallows, I opened the bedroom door and made my way out. I found Ranger sitting at the bar, reading a news paper and eating a bagel. He looked so much like a regular guy I had to let out a giggle.

"Something funny, Babe?" he asked, folding his paper and laying it aside.

"You just looked so… normal," I said, giggling again at the image in my head.

"Babe," Ranger said, shaking his head.

Ignoring the head shaking, I settled myself on the stool next to him and grabbed a bagel which I lathered with cream cheese. Seeing how I was preparing my breakfast, Ranger grabbed one of the bananas from the tray and sat it in front of me. I just gave him an eye roll.

When I finished my breakfast plus banana, I looked up to find Ranger watching me intently. Looks like it's time…

"So," he started, like every other time we'd tried to have this talk.

"So," I answered before stating the obvious... "I think we've got this part of the talk down."

"Yeah, we do, now we've got to work on the rest of it."

"Now?"

"Now," Ranger said, giving me a look that said there was no getting out of it this time. "I'm completely unavailable unless there's an emergency."

"Okay, but can we go do this in the living room where it's more comfortable?" I asked, suddenly needing to stall for any time I could get. Besides, the chances of an emergency coming up really weren't that slim.

"Sure," Ranger answered.

"Where do we start?"

"Babe, I think it'd be best if we just dove right in and started with the big issue." There was no need to state what the big issue was; it was the one that had been in the back of my mind for a couple days now… what we were going to do about this marriage?

"So, what are we going to do?" I whispered.

"Babe, I want you to remember that I do love you, but my life still doesn't lend itself to relationships."

"I know," I said, not able to meet his eyes. "And it's not like we had that kind of relationship, but there was something between us. I don't want to have permanently damaged that."

"We'll still be friends and things will be like before even if there is a divorce between us," Ranger said adamantly and I had to look up. And then I looked back down as soon as I was hit with the realization that the d-word had finally been said.

"I guess I just associate 'it' so strongly with my horrible experience with the Dick," I said softly. "It looks like I've lost my friendship with Joe, but I couldn't handle loosing you too. I just want things to be normal between us."

"They will be, Babe," Ranger promised, reaching out and pulling me from my end of the couch to snuggle into his side.

"I care about you too much," I admitted in a whisper.

"I care about you too, Babe, and a lot of days I don't know what to do about that. I don't let people close, but somehow you managed it."

"But us being married is wrong…" I said, not really sure where that statement was meant to go. I just needed to say something.

"Yeah," Ranger agreed in a tone that sounded a bit gruffer than his normal tone.

"So we need to get a divorce," I stated, although it felt quite a bit like a question also.

"I think that would be best," Ranger said.

"When?"

"We probably shouldn't wait too long. I know my mother will start to get attached to the idea of me being married and I bet yours is the same."

"Yeah," I agreed. "But can we at least wait until after we've dealt with the guy stalking us. I don't think I can handle getting stalked and divorced at the same time."

"Alright, Babe," Ranger said, giving me a little squeeze. "Let's plan to deal with one problem at a time and before we know it, things will be back to normal."

"I think we've put more planning into our divorce than we put into our wedding," I said, shaking my head a bit and burying my face in Ranger's chest.

"We don't know that for sure," Ranger replied, giving me another squeeze.

I just relaxed into him. Suddenly, everything felt like it was going to be okay. Things were going to go back to normal and Ranger and I would go back to sharing the 'thing' that wasn't a relationship that we had. Ranger would continue loving me in his own way and I would go back to loving him and hiding it… and it would be okay. I just had to keep telling myself that.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

A/N: Well, I hope you liked it. Please review and let me know what you thought of 'the talk.'


	8. Chapter 7

I don't own them and I'm not making any money…

Thank you all for reading and for all of the wonderful reviews, I appreciate them. And I want to thank Harmne and haleigh.l for their help with editing on this and the last chapter…

**What Happens in Vegas…**

**Chapter 7**

_I just relaxed into him. Suddenly, everything felt like it was going to be okay. Things were going to go back to normal and Ranger and I would go back to sharing the 'thing' that wasn't a relationship that we had. Ranger would continue loving me in his own way and I would go back to loving him and hiding it… and it would be okay. I just had to keep telling myself that._

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

After 'the talk' Ranger and I stayed snuggled into the couch together for about half an hour. I was just starting to drift off to sleep when Ranger cleared his throat and announced he had some work to do on the fifth floor.

When he got up, I stayed on the couch and listened to the soft sounds he made as he moved around the apartment. If I closed my eyes, I could even pick up the sounds of his footsteps. Concentrating, I heard the footsteps come closer and closer until he was standing in front of me.

"Don't forget to take one of the guys with you today if you go out," he said, as I felt him move some curls across my forehead.

"You too," I replied, opening my eyes and giving him a lazy smile.

"I will." He was smiling also, but I'm not sure if he was returning my smile or just amused at how relaxed I was.

Once our little exchange was over, Ranger headed out of the apartment and I continued to lounge on the couch. Nearly another half an hour passed before I decided to move and try to get some work done today as well, so I hauled myself into a sitting position.

I still had some files from yesterday, but they were in my bag which was on the sideboard. I could just see it from my seat, so I spent a minute attempting mental telepathy. When my bag didn't bring itself to me, I finally got up.

Fishing the files out of my bag, I flipped through them for a minute until I came to Mooner. I'd forgotten he was in there. That was definitely the kind of work I felt like doing today… and if memory served me, there should be a Gilligan's Island marathon on today.

Now that I had a purpose, I had to act on it. First, I headed for the bathroom to do a hair and makeup check, but it was still in great condition since I'd spent to so much time on it to put off 'the talk.' After I was done in there, I gathered my bag and files and noticed some extra weight in my bag. Peering inside, I found my gun and a quick check showed that it was loaded. I assumed I had Ranger to thank for that. Probably he wanted me to carry it; probably I would since we had a stalker.

Once I was ready, I headed out the door and almost allowed my auto-pilot to take me straight to the garage. But I remembered promising Ranger I'd take one of the guys if I went out, so I headed for the fifth floor.

Down there, I found Ranger and Tank just heading out so I wandered over towards them.

"Going after a bad guy?" I asked.

"Going to talk to a bad guy about the bad guy we want to go after," Ranger answered. "How about you?"

"I wouldn't consider Mooner a bad guy…"

"No, Mooner's not a bad guy," Ranger said, as he lifted my bag slightly from where it was hanging on my arm. "Proud of you, Babe."

"Yeah, well…" I said, knowing he was talking about the fact that I had my gun in there.

"Did you come down here to get your back-up?"

"Yep. Who's with me today? I hope they don't mind Gilligan's Island."

"You've got Vince today and I don't think he'll mind."

"Good," I said before addressing Tank who had been watching us with a suspicious smirk on his face. "Don't let Ranger get shot again."

"I'll do my best, Bomber."

"Thanks," I said, then turned back to Ranger. "Be careful."

"I will," he promised. "You too."

I nodded in response as he pushed a couple of curls back and held his hand to my cheek. He brushed his thumb across my cheekbone a couple of times and then he and Tank disappeared towards the elevator.

Without thinking, I ran my hand across my cheek where he had touched and felt the tingles there. When I realized what I was doing, I gave my head a shake and headed towards the break room. I had to keep reminding myself that I was in control of my feelings… though it would be a lot easier if my feelings would cooperate.

In the break room I found Vince, Ram and Woody eating their lunches. Vince, however, shoved the last three bites of his sandwich into his mouth when I walked in and came to join me.

"Ready to go?" he asked, or at least that's what I think he asked around the wad of sandwich in his mouth.

"Uh, yeah," I replied, watching him chew and hoping he wouldn't choke.

"Then let's go," he said, once he had completed a large swallow.

"All right," And then we headed to the garage.

Once we'd selected a Bronco and climbed in, Vince gave me a questioning look. I assumed he wanted to know where we were going, but he was going to have to ask.

"Where are we headed?" he finally asked, bringing our stare down to an end.

"We're picking up Mooner today," I said.

"Awesome," Vince replied. "I got out of surveillance to watch TV." He was looking pretty happy, but I was feeling guilty.

"You got pulled from surveillance?"

"Yeah, but don't worry about it. All of us were fighting over who got to come with you."

"Why?" I asked, really confused… I didn't have the greatest track record with Ranger's guys.

"Bomber, a day with you is never boring. A day of surveillance is guaranteed to be boring."

"Oh," I said, trying to digest that. Who would have thought the Merry Men actually liked spending a day with me?

All was quiet in the Bronco for a while and since it was lunch time, we inevitably got caught in traffic. I am not a patient driver or passenger, so I was practicing deep breathing and trying to find my zone when I noticed Vince shooting me a look.

"Yes?" I asked, turning my head towards him.

"Uh, so you and the boss?" I was really beginning to regret the guys finally getting comfortable with me.

"Apparently," I said, sighing. "What exactly have you guys heard?"

"Just that you all got drunk, you and the boss got married and no one remembers a thing."

"That about sums it up."

"What I wouldn't give to see Ranger like that," Vince said with a half smile on his face.

"Me too," I replied with a snort. I was still a bit upset I didn't remember anything.

Not long after that, we made it out of the traffic jam and to the part of the Burg where Mooner lived. Heading up the walk to the house, Vince began hand signaling that he would cover the back door. I just rolled my eyes and grabbed him by the back of the shirt. That wouldn't be necessary. When we knocked, Mooner came right to the door and was more than happy to see me.

"Dudette!" he exclaimed, as he hung a lei of plastic flowers around my neck. "You're just in time to catch the next episode of Gilligan's Island! Come in, come in."

He ushered both Vince and I in, and I had to smile when I saw both he and Dougie were wearing ratty jeans and straw hats. They took their TV so seriously.

As we settled into the couch, the theme song was just starting and they both began singing along. I knew there was no reaching them for awhile. When it was finally commercial, Mooner seemed to snap out of it for a bit and gave me a happy smile.

"So, Dudette, what brings you to visit?"

"I need to take you to reschedule your court date," I said.

"I forgot again? I even wrote it down," Mooner said, indicating his clean arm and then getting a puzzled look. "Huh. It must have washed off."

"Don't worry about it," I told him. "I'll take you to the station and this time we'll write it on paper."

"You rock Dudette," he said, before falling silent again as Gilligan's Island came back on.

Four hours and two pizzas later, we finally left for the station. Connie met us at the station, so I had Mooner and Dougie home in time for the Star Trek party they were having tonight. I was just happy it hadn't been a day time event.

"If only every day could be like that," Vince said as we headed back to Rangeman.

"You'd get bored," I told him smiling.

"Yeah, but it's nice once in awhile…"

When we got back to Rangeman, I headed straight for the seventh floor. A day of TV saps my energy so much more than a day of chasing skips through garbage. I needed a nap. Finding the apartment empty, I went straight to the bedroom, pulled on one of Ranger's t-shirts and curled into bed.

I woke to a tickling on my belly, so I curled into a ball. The tickling just shifted to my neck and I figured I was fighting a loosing battle. Cracking one eye, I spotted Ranger sitting on the edge of the bed, grinning at my struggle with consciousness.

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty," he said. "Ella brought dinner if you want to wake up."

"Sleeping Beauty got woken with a kiss, none of this tickling nonsense," I grumbled before I thought about what I was saying and to whom.

Cat quick, Ranger moved us so he had me pinned to the bed. Then he kissed me, and as his tongue touched mine, I honestly didn't mind being woken. I think Sleeping Beauty may have been on to something.

"Better?" Ranger asked when he pulled away. I was glad to see that I wasn't the only one breathing heavily.

"Definitely awake," I said, as I relaxed into a pile of goo under him.

"Good." With that, he pulled away and lifted me with him. "Why don't you go get freshened up while I set the table?" At my nod, he pointed me towards the bathroom and I stumbled my way there.

Looking in the mirror, I let out a resigned sigh at the sight of my hair. It was a mess. If Ranger's bravery ever came into question, his lack of fear over my hair should clear everything up.

Once I'd tamed it into a pony tail and splashed some water on my face to get rid of the sleep gunk around my eyes, I headed for the kitchen. Standing in the doorway, I saw Ranger setting silverware on the table and took a moment to just watch him. He looked so comfortable and relaxed, almost normal.

"Need any help?" I finally asked as I entered the kitchen.

"Nope," he replied as he grabbed the food. "All done."

Taking a seat at the table, I watched as Ranger uncovered the dishes. A wonderful smell met my nose, so I leaned in to check what Ella had sent up. It was grilled chicken and vegetables, and it looked quite healthy. I'd give it a try, though… not like I had any choice as Ranger dished up my plate and sat it in front of me.

As I took the first bite, I couldn't suppress a moan. "This is good."

"Babe," was all he said as he took a bite of his own dinner. I cocked my head to one side, waiting for more, but when it didn't come, I went back to eating.

After we were done, we stacked the dishes on the tray Ella had left and Ranger disappeared to his office to get some work done. I stood in the middle of the apartment, at a loss for awhile until I remembered I still hadn't called Mary Lou. She was probably dying to hear all about my Vegas escapades.

If only I could find my cell phone… Once I'd been searching for about five minutes, I let out a frustrated sigh and headed for Ranger's office. Not wanting to bother him, I whispered that my phone was missing as I grabbed his. He gave me the raised eyebrow look as I started dialing, but when the Batman theme song started to play somewhere, he looked amused.

I just handed him his phone as I followed the sound of mine. I eventually found it wedged between the couch and end table, so I wiggled it free and settled into the couch to make my call. While it rang, I pulled the throw over myself and had just gotten comfy when Mare answered.

"Hey, Mare," I said, bracing myself for her screaming.

I wasn't disappointed. I had to hold the phone away from my ear for a good two minutes until I could no longer hear her, and then I brought it back to my head cautiously, just in case she had only stopped for air.

"So, is it true?" she was demanding once I was listening again.

"Yes," I answered, and then quickly jerked the phone away from my ear. This conversation was going to take awhile if she kept screaming after everything I said.

"I can't believe you're married to Ranger," she was yelling when I brought the phone back to my ear. "How exactly did you come to be married anyway?"

"We got drunk. We're not sure how we settled on getting married, but I started out the evening on champagne and tequila," I said, knowing that would be enough to convince Mare I wasn't in my right mind.

"But what about Ranger? You said he always knows what's going on and is constantly aware and stuff".

"Yeah, he is normally, but we got drunk and I guess we started taking different shots and that was his downfall," I said. It was logical, since according to Tank, 'Little Man can't mix his alcohol.' I'd just snorted at that statement. Normal people wouldn't call Ranger little, but everyone's small to Tank.

"Makes sense," Mare said. "They didn't let you mix alcohol did they?"

"Yep".

"Well, that explains everything."

"I guess."

"So, who was your maid of honor?" she asked in a mock jealous voice.

"Lester," I answered giggling as I remembered the picture of him holding my bouquet and wearing a big pink ribbon.

After that, the entire conversation deteriorated into the ridiculous as Mary Lou and I speculated about the differences between this wedding and my last. Our final conclusion was that this wedding was infinitely better, even though I couldn't remember a single thing about it.

Closing my phone, I saw it was only about 8 o'clock. Looking around, I began to remember why I had started to get crazy when I stayed here to hide from the Slayers. There was nothing to do. There wasn't even anything to clean in a fit of absolute boredom.

Flopping back onto the couch, I started at the ceiling for about five minutes until I couldn't take it any more. I got up and wandered into Ranger's office. He was still working… No wonder there's nothing to do here if he never takes a break.

"Babe?" he asked when I'd been standing in the doorway for a minute.

"I'm a bit bored," I said, trying not to sound whiney. "Do you need any help?"

"Actually, I could use some help," Ranger said after a minute.

I leaned across the desk to take a look at what he was doing on his computer screen and saw finance forms. I recognized them from some of my business classes in college and the memories weren't pleasant. That may have shown on my face, since Ranger immediately let out a laugh.

"Not with this, don't worry," he said as he opened a drawer and pulled out a laptop. "Earlier I was sorting reports trying to get ready for a takedown, but I don't have enough info. Can you run some more searches for me?"

"Definitely," I said, taking the chair from the corner of the office and bringing it to sit at the desk.

Scooting my chair in, but trying to leave Ranger room, I booted up the laptop and grabbed the files Ranger had placed beside it. They were pretty standard stuff and before long, I was off in my own little world.

About an hour later, I had printed all of the reports and was piecing the info together. Not thinking, I leaned across Ranger to grab a highlighter from his pencil holder and accidentally brushed against him. He just put a hand against me to steady me, but my hormones went haywire. I tried to concentrate on the report in front of me, but all I could think about was Ranger sitting less than a foot away from me.

With a lot of effort I made it half an hour before I couldn't take it any more. I had to get out of that office. I wasn't done with my research and I was staring at it trying to think of an excuse to leave when my stomach let out a growl. I could go get a snack. Standing quickly, I asked Ranger if he wanted anything and then got out of there.

In the kitchen, I leaned down to look in Rex's cage and took a bunch of calming breaths. While staring at him running on the wheel, I noticed myself subconsciously touching my bare ring finger as if I could still feel the rings there.

Standing, I gave my head a shake and laced my hands over my head. This was not good. I had to get control of myself. Sharing Ranger's space was taking its toll on me, but it was only until we took care of the stalker. Then we could get a divorce and this would be over. If only I was sure that it would get my emotions back under control.

Suddenly realizing I'd been in the kitchen for quite a while, I started making my snack. My peanut butter and olive sandwich was quick enough and then I got myself a glass of water and one for Ranger.

I headed back to the office, carefully balancing the plate with my sandwich on top of my glass and took one last deep breath before going in.

"I was starting to think you got lost," Ranger said, looking up when I came in.

"Nope," I replied. "Just spent a little quality time with Rex."

Ranger seemed to accept that as he took the water I offered him and thanked me. I just settled back into my seat and ate my sandwich. When I was done, I shot Ranger a couple of looks out of the corner of my eye, but was relieved to realize that I was once again in control. The feelings were still there… they just weren't all consuming any more.

We worked for a while longer, until I finished up my search. As I shut down the laptop, Ranger logged out of his computer as well.

"All done for the night?" I asked.

"Yep. We have an early morning tomorrow."

"How early? And why we?" I asked suspiciously.

"Eight and it's a meeting to go over the info on our stalker."

"That's too early."

"I thought you wanted to be involved?" Ranger asked, giving my shoulders a gentle squeeze from behind as we walked out of the office.

"I do. I was thinking you could move the meeting to noon."

"No can do. Why don't you go get ready for bed? Then you can get up for the meeting."

"Fine," I said, heading off to the bathroom. I really wish I could just be happy sleeping though the meeting and letting the guys do their thing. Too bad I have to always know what's going on.

In Ranger's room, I did my thing in the bathroom and was in his dressing area slipping into another of his black shirts when I heard him head for the bathroom. I spent a moment appreciating Ella since the pile of shirts never seemed to diminish even with both of us wearing them, and then I headed for bed.

I was still squirming myself comfortable when I felt the bed dip behind me as Ranger crawled in. I immediately tensed, since I hadn't even heard him in the room.

"You could make some noise you know," I informed him as I rolled to face him.

"Yeah," he said, pulling me into his side. "That wouldn't be as much fun."

"Uh huh," I replied, squirming myself into him now, so I could use his shoulder as a pillow.

It was comfortable, lying there like that, with him holding me. I'd completely given up trying to sleep away from him lately, since it seems we always wake up tangled together. We lay there for quite a while, but neither of us spoke again. The last thing I remember, is the gentle rise and fall of Ranger's chest evening out as he fell asleep.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please review and let me know what you thought!


	9. Chapter 8

_They're not mine and I'm not making any money…_

_Thank you all for reading and for all of the wonderful reviews! I want to give a big thanks to Harmne and haleigh.l for their help with editing… And other than that, please enjoy!_

**What Happens in Vegas **

**Chapter 8**

_It was comfortable, lying there like that, with him holding me. I'd completely given up trying to sleep away from him lately, since it seems we always wake up tangled together. We lay there for quite a while, but neither of us spoke again. The last thing I remember, is the gentle rise and fall of Ranger's chest evening out as he fell asleep._

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Babe, wake up," I heard as a hand played across my shoulders.

Cracking one eye, I determined that it was not nearly light enough to be an hour acceptable for me to be awake, so I snapped the eye shut and pretended to be asleep.

"Babe," I heard again, but a bit more insistently. "I know you're awake."

"I was trying to fix that," I said, rolling and staring up at Ranger. He was dressed in running clothes, but he was shining with sweat so I assumed he'd already been on his run.

Next, looking at the clock, I saw that it was six in the morning. The meeting wasn't until eight. I didn't need to be up for another hour. He didn't honestly think it took me that long to get ready did he?

"I know you don't need two hours," Ranger said, using his ESP. "We're going to the gym."

"You're going to the gym," I corrected, pulling my pillow over my head and hoping he'd get the message.

"Nope. You got to sleep in yesterday. Today you go to the gym," he said, pulling the pillow away and peeling back the blankets.

I just curled into a ball. I was going back to sleep... Or not, I thought, as a pair of sweats and a tank top flew from the direction of the dresser and landed on me. More than likely, I wasn't going to win this, so I might as well get it over with.

"Fine. You win," I announced, pulling myself from bed and shooing Ranger from the room.

I pulled on the sweats, dug out a sports bra and put it and the tank top on, grumbling the entire time. Going into the bathroom, I gave my teeth a quick brush and pulled my hair into a pony tail. Maybe if it was scary I'd frighten the Merry Men and not be allowed back in the gym…

Heading out into the apartment, I found Ranger waiting patiently for me. I gave him a death glare, but he just lifted an eyebrow. I really wish that death glare worked. We left the apartment and took the elevator to the third floor. Climbing off of it, I followed Ranger into the gym. I'd never really spent much time here… well, none actually after visiting during my tour of the building when I started working here.

Mildly curious, I looked around and saw a few Rangemen here and there, working with weights, sparing, running on a treadmill. Eyeing all of the equipment, I wondered what Ranger expected me to do.

"I'm going to teach you some self defense," Ranger informed me, as I noticed we'd stopped in the middle of a large mat.

"Huh?" I asked eloquently.

"Self defense, Babe," he repeated. "I agree that we should wait until we have the mess with this stalker cleared up befoe we deal with getting a divorce. But there are still plenty of people out there who would love to get a hold of you to get to me. I don't want you getting hurt because you're tied to me for the time being."

"Oh," I said. I guess it made sense to learn to take care of myself if there were going to be more crazies after me. That may be more than my luck could handle. "Let's get going then. I've got the crotch kick down, but other than that, I've got nothing."

"All right," Ranger said, and then quicker than lightning he had my arms held tightly behind my back.

"Hey, that hurts," I protested.

"Sorry," Ranger said, loosening the hold a bit, but not letting go. "How would you get out of this?"

Thinking for a minute, I tugged on my arms but couldn't free them. I tried turning so I could kick him, but that just further twisted my arms into a position that really hurt.

"Probably I would get kidnapped," I said finally, when none of my tugging had gotten me free.

After that, Ranger demonstrated how I should get out of the hold. He then let me put him in the hold and had me practice keeping someone in it. By the time we were done, my arms felt like jelly but I didn't think they'd be too sore.

When we had been working for an hour, we stopped and headed up to the apartment. I had to admit that I did feel good, other than the exhaustion of my arms. This was much better than running.

In the elevator, Ranger noticed me rubbing my arms and started massaging them. It felt wonderful, and my tired muscles started to feel better too… Relaxing back into him as he moved up to my shoulders, I sighed in contentment. _I love this man_; I caught myself thinking and tensed.

"Babe?" Ranger asked, noticing the sudden tension.

"Just an extra sore spot," I said, making a conscious effort to relax again.

I don't think he bought it, but he didn't say anything and went back to massaging.

In the apartment, Ranger sent me off to the shower first, telling me not to run the water too hot or it would make my muscles worse. And as good as a hot shower sounded right now, I listened.

Out of the shower, I wrapped myself in a towel and headed for the dressing area in Ranger's closet and then called out to let him know the shower was free. My hairdryer and makeup were out here on the vanity so I flipped upside down and started drying my hair to drown out the sound of the shower running. Thoughts of a wet, naked Ranger were not what I needed right now. Too late.

I just about had my hair dry and myself under control when the man himself walked through in nothing but a towel to get his clothes.

"Pretty scary, Babe," he said, eyeing the puff ball that was my hair as he carried his clothes back to the bathroom.

I just sighed as I went about taming it. I wasn't even going to bother trying to get rid of the image of Ranger in a towel. It wouldn't work. Living with him definitely presented challenges.

While I worked on my hair, Ranger passed through and headed for the kitchen. I could hear him talking and I assumed he was calling Ella. I'd better hurry if I wanted breakfast before the meeting. Just as I was adding the last swipe of mascara, I heard the blender start and thought with dread about the awful smoothies Ranger liked in the morning. I would draw the line at drinking one of those for breakfast.

I wandered into the kitchen just in time to see Ranger dropping the last piece of fruit Ella had brought into the blender. He must have caught the face I was making at his breakfast, because he laughed before telling me my breakfast was on the bar.

Curious, I wandered over and felt a smile spread across my face at the sight of a Tasty Pastry bag. Peeking inside, I spotted two Boston Crèmes. That even made up for the fact that a plate of apple slices was placed strategically in front of the bag.

Deciding that I could eat some fruit if Ranger could bring me doughnuts, I ate the apple first. And I only dropped one slice into Rex's cage. I was just taking the first bite of my doughnut when Ranger came over, sipping his smoothie.

"Thank you," I said, smiling as I licked powdered sugar from my lips.

"I picked them up during my run. I figured you'd deserve them after I drug you out of bed early."

"Mmm, this definitely makes it all better," I said, taking another bite, and then in a surge of generosity, I held the doughnut out, offering Ranger a bite.

"You want a sip of my smoothie?" Ranger countered.

"Not really." I crinkled my nose at the very thought.

"That's how I feel about your doughnut."

"You're a strange man, Ranger Manoso," I said, shaking my head.

That just caused him to grin. "You married me."

"And I have no idea why," I teased.

After that, we both finished our breakfasts in silence. We'd been moving into dangerous territory with that conversation and seemed to have a silent agreement not to talk for a while. Or maybe it was just me, since Ranger didn't talk much anyway.

When we were done eating, it was time to head down for the meeting. I was curious about whether or not the guys had found out anything about our stalker and if so, what.

On the fifth floor, we headed for the conference room. Most of the guys hadn't seen Ranger and me together yet, so when we walked in they gave us some curious looks. Turning my head towards Ranger, I saw his eyes narrow almost imperceptibly and the guys suddenly became very interested in the reports in front of them.

Ranger took a seat at the head of the table and I took the empty chair beside him. Once we were seated, Tank stood and began the meeting. He went over all of the stuff we already knew first, like me getting shot at, Ranger getting shot, my apartment being vandalized, and Ranger's car being keyed. I was just about to give in and start zoning out when he nodded to Lester who picked up with new information.

"All of the bullets used were the same type, leading us to believe there was one shooter. We were able to identify the prints picked up from Bomber's apartment and they are a match to the partial print picked up from the Porsche. The prints belong to Blake Harper."

He paused there, giving us time to think. That name sounded familiar, but I couldn't place it. Thinking harder didn't help, so I turned my head towards Ranger hoping he'd enlighten me.

"Harper was one of my skips," Ranger said. That didn't explain why I was recognizing the name though. "When we apprehended him, you did distraction."

"So, he's angry that we apprehended him," I said.

"More than likely he's fixated on you and doesn't like the fact that you're off the market," said Lester. "His activities have centered around your apartment so far, indicating that he's watching you but he seems to be targeting Ranger as well."

"Oh." I turned back to Ranger. "Sorry."

"Not your fault, Babe," he said before turning back to the meeting. "Can someone get the recording from Steph's mike?"

"Yeah," said Woody as he got up and headed out the door.

"You keep those?" I asked Ranger. I wasn't sure how I felt about that.

"Don't worry too much. The guys know not to listen to them unless something like this comes up."

"Good," I said, relieved. There were some things I'd said to get skips out of bars that I would not like the guys to have the opportunity to listen to more than once.

Soon after that, Woody came back with the CD. It was quickly popped into the conference room's sound system and soon the sound of fabric rustling filled the room.

"_Go get 'em, Tiger," _I heard Ranger's voice say, a bit deeper than normal. I felt myself turn pink with the knowledge that he had probably just finished kissing me as he pulled his hand out of my dress.

"_Yeah," _I agreed. My voice was a bit husky as well. Please, please, please, I begged God, don't let it be one of the nights that he drug me back in for another kiss.

I heard fabric rustle and almost sighed in relief, thinking it was me moving to get out of the car, but then I heard myself moan. Damn, this is embarrassing. And Ranger must have agreed, since he got up and started fast forwarding the disk. After a few seconds, the room was thankfully filled with the sounds of a bar.

"_Ooops,"_ I said, in a falsely cheery voice. _"I don't think these heels mix very well with margaritas," _and then I giggled.

"_No, doesn't look like they do," _we heard as Harper's voice filtered through conference room. _"Why don't you take a seat here by me, so you don't trip again?"_

"_Thank you."_ I let out another giggle.

"_Any time, Darlin'. What are you doing here alone?"_

"_I was with my friends, but they met these twins and started dancing and I don't know where they went,"_ I heard myself ramble.

"_A pretty thing like you shouldn't be all by yourself," _he said, and I had a distinct memory of him rubbing my thigh and shuddered. _"I'm Blake Harper."_

"_Stephanie. You're sweet. Are you by yourself?"_

"_Sure am."_

"_Then we can sit together and neither of us will be alone," _I said, sounding quite happy with myself.

"_There's an idea if I ever heard one,"_ he replied and then called the bartender over. I recognized the bartender's voice as Bobby, so I shot him a look. From the crease in his brow, he must have been remembering Harper's creepiness too.

While we waited for our drinks, I started asking him about himself and he was playing right along. Our drinks arrived and when I could hear myself making sipping noises, I had to smile. It was hard work pretending to drink with out actually drinking…

"_I wanna dance," _I eventually heard myself say.

"_Should I take that as I hint that you want me to ask you?"_ Harper asked with a laugh.

"_Yes."_

"_Would you like to dance," _he asked then, in what was meant to be a suave voice.

"_I would love to."_

We didn't talk while we danced, but after a while I heard myself speak up again.

"_I'm getting warm. I need to get some fresh air, but I'm a bit drunk. Will you come out with me?"_

"_Sure thing, Darlin',"_ Harper replied.

The bar sounds began to fade and a door was opened. I could hear my heels clicking on the macadam and then the distinctive snap of a pair of handcuffs.

"_Blake Harper, you're in violation of your bond agreement," _I heard Lester say. _"We represent your bond company and will be escorting you back into the legal system."_

"_Don't worry about me Darlin',"_ I heard Harper calling. _"Tonight was fun. Maybe I'll look you up again some time."_

I heard car doors open and close, and remembered Tank and Lester shoving Harper into the back of a Bronco. Next was Ranger's voice saying, _"Babe, I don't think he knew you were with us,"_ but it was covered by the rusting of cloth. After that, the mike shut off.

"So, how'd he figure out who Steph is?" Ranger asked as the room fell silent. I hadn't given him my last name while we talked.

"It's possible he's been watching us," Bobby spoke up.

Ranger gave that a nod and the idea was written down.

"He may have seen her in the news," offered Ram. "Bombshell's not exactly low profile." Another nod.

"With some time to think he could have figured out she was with us," said Tank. "She's pretty much the only woman that works with us." That got a nod also.

"Okay," Ranger said, "so to figure out who Steph is, Harper is already displaying some interest. Interest isn't good. Lester, I want you to go figure out what Harper is up to these days. If he's out of prison, he must be on probation. Talk to his probation officer. Ram, Woody, I want you to canvas his neighborhood. See if there's any talk about what he's into. Tank, you're with Steph today and Bobby you're with me. Questions?"

After a moment of silence, Ranger gave the guys nods which they returned then went to work. I just rolled my eyes.

"What are your plans for the day?" Ranger asked me once it was just us, Tank and Bobby in the room.

"I thought I'd stop by the office and pick up some more files. I only have one left from the other day and I might as well take advantage of having Tank with me," I said, linking my arm through his.

"Okay, be safe," he told me, tucking a curl behind my ear and cupping my cheek.

"You too," I replied, covering his hand with mine.

We locked eyes and Ranger got a look similar, but not quite like, the one he gets when he's about to kiss me. All I know, is I was unable to look away. I'm not sure how long we stayed like that, just staring at each other, but eventually there was a not-so-subtle throat clearing from one of the guys.

"Uh, see you tonight then," I said, dropping my eyes and feeling my face turn pink again.

"Yeah," Ranger agreed, pulling his hand away from my cheek.

After that, he and Bobby took off to do whatever it is Batman does all day and I was left standing there with Tank. Lifting my eyes up and up some more, I saw he was watching me with a smirk on his face and the smirk was growing into a smile.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing," he said, wiping the smile from his face, but I could still see the amusement in his eyes.

"Right," I replied, giving him an eye roll. "Let's go."

In the garage, I got ahead of Tank and tried to get in the driver's seat of the Bronco, but he picked me up and redirected me to the passenger's side. He once again reminded me that women drive in his bed, not in his car and I pretended to pout. It had become something of a game between us.

Not much later, we made it to the bonds office. I'd been a bit nervous about being double teamed by Lula and Connie again, but Lula was sufficiently distracted by Tank.

"Any files?" I asked Connie.

"Yeah," she said, handing me a pile. "And those are for you too," she said, indicating a massive bouquet of red roses on the coffee table in front of the couch. "Is there something you want to tell me about how married life is treating you?"

"Uh, no," I said, staring at the roses. Somehow I didn't think Ranger had sent them. "Hey Tank, can you come look at this?"

When Tank didn't answer, I took my eyes away from the roses and saw that he was still completely wrapped up in whatever Lula was telling him. Shaking my head, I walked over to them, grabbed Tank by the utility belt and tugged him in the direction of the coffee table. Not that it moved him, but it got his attention.

"Yeah, Bomber?" he asked, while Lula gave me a death glare.

"There's a vase of flowers for me," I said, pointing at the flowers.

"You interrupted the story I was telling my man to tell him your man sent you flowers?" Lula asked sticking a hand on her hip.

"I don't think they're from Ranger," I said.

"Then who would they be from? Please don't tell me they're from Super-cop."

"Steph and Ranger have a stalker, Honey," Tank said in a soothing voice I'd never heard before as he reached out and toyed with one of Lula's braids. "I need to go have a look at the flowers."

"Is that why you're with my girl today?" Lula asked, following Tank over to the coffee table.

"Yeah," Tank answered.

After that, he stared at the flowers for a minute. I wasn't sure what he was looking for but eventually he determined them to be safe, picked up the vase and turned it round and round looking at it. Then, he sat the flowers back down and pawed through them. Once satisfied that nothing was going to blow up or harm me, he plucked the note from the holder, careful to only touch the edges, and handed it to me.

Scrunching my eyes shut, I carefully opened the little envelope and pulled out the card. I tried to open my eyes, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. In the end, I held the card out to Tank and only opened my eyes when he took it.

"Not good, Bomber," he said after a minute.

"How not good?"

"Here, read it," Tank said, handing me the card.

Forcing my eyes to it, I read the loopy script inside. _Stephanie, _it began, _Your marriage to Manoso is not acceptable. He is the man who separated us. Didn't you think I would come back to you when I was free again? Imagine my surprise when shortly after my release the streets are buzzing with the news that the great Ranger Manoso got married. And then to find out that you are the wife and you are a bounty hunter. Don't worry, Manoso will be eliminated and maybe I'll even give you a second chance. Blake_

"Definitely not good," I agreed with Tank once I was done reading. "What do we do now?"

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

A/N: Thanks so much for reading! Please review, I love the feedback, and I'd love to hear what you think of Blake, Ranger and Steph, or anything else!


	10. Chapter 9

_I don't own them and I'm not making any money…_

_Thank you all for reading and for all of the reviews, I really appreciate them. Also, thanks Harmne and Haleigh.l for your help with this chapter. Other than that, please enjoy!_

**What Happens in Vegas **

**Chapter 9**

_Forcing my eyes to it, I read the loopy script inside. Stephanie, it began, Your marriage to Manoso is not acceptable. He is the man who separated us. Didn't you think I would come back to you when I was free again? Imagine my surprise when shortly after my release the streets are buzzing with the news that the great Ranger Manoso got married. And then to find out that you are the wife and you are a bounty hunter. Don't worry, Manoso will be eliminated and maybe I'll even give you a second chance. Blake_

"_Definitely not good," I agreed with Tank once I was done reading. "What do we do now?"_

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Taking the note and flowers, Tank and I headed back to Rangeman. When the elevator opened to take us upstairs, we found Ranger and Bobby just heading out, so Tank made a 'turn around' gesture with his hand and we joined them in the elevator going to the fifth floor.

"What's up?" Ranger asked, eyeing the massive vase of flowers Tank was holding.

"Harper finally sent a threat," Tank answered.

"Aimed at?"

"You mostly. There's a note," Tank said as we exited onto the fifth floor.

We headed straight for the conference room, where Ranger took the note from Tank. As he read it I watched his face go blank and then grow dark. If looks could kill, that card would have burst into flames.

"Bobby, find Lester. Tank, get Ram and Woody, I want to know if they've found anything yet. Then call in the guys for another meeting."

Once Bobby and Tank left the room, Ranger dropped the note onto the table, let his arm fall to his side and tilted his face towards the ceiling with his eyes closed. He almost looked lost and I had an overwhelming urge to comfort him. I just wasn't sure how to go about doing it.

After a moment, I walked over to him and just stood there. Eventually, he lowered his eyes to mine and then wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me to himself. I wrapped my arms loosely around his waist, still unsure what to do. When he settled his head on top of mine, I heard him take a deep breath, release it and I felt him relax a little. Good.

"I'm sorry for getting you into this, Babe," he said softly.

"Not your fault," I told him, repeating what he had told me earlier.

"I know. I still feel bad."

"Yeah." I knew the feeling since I felt like Harper was targeting him because of me, but in the end it wasn't either of our faults.

We stayed like that, holding one another, until the door opened and the guys started to come in. When Ranger let go of me, we took our seats and I could physically see the change in him as he started the meeting. The lost look was gone and he was back in control.

"What did you find out?" Ranger directed at Lester.

"When we apprehended Harper, he was wanted for assault. His bond was high enough for us because of suspected mob affiliations and five previous murder charges, none of which he was convicted for. He was sentenced to a year in prison for the conspiracy charge, but was released early. According to his probation officer, he hasn't shown up for meetings and now a warrant has been issued for his arrest."

"Ram, Woody, how about you?" Ranger asked after a nod to Lester.

"Pretty much all of Trenton's underbelly knows of you two getting married," Ram said nodding at Ranger and me. "There isn't much real interest, just buzz about Ranger Manoso marrying the Bombshell Bounty Hunter."

"We haven't had a chance to talk to many people, but Harper usually works with the Grizolli family so we talked to some of their thugs," said Woody. "They said when Harper heard about you getting married he was pretty curious, and then he came back later with a bunch of questions about Bombshell."

"Well, that explains how he figured out who Steph is," Ranger said, jotting down a note.

"What's our next move?" asked Tank.

"I think we need to let the police know what's going on. If there's a warrant for his arrest and he's been harassing Steph and me, we can get authorization to apprehend him. Babe, are you okay with making a report?" Ranger asked me.

"Uh, yeah," I said. I knew this meant that Joe would probably find out about the situation and I'd be hearing from him, but I also knew we needed authorization to act if we caught Harper.

"Good," Ranger said, catching my right hand in his left and settling them on his leg before going on with the meeting.

I have no idea where the meeting went after that because all of my attention was focused on my hand, clasped in Ranger's, sitting on his thigh. I could feel his warmth diffusing up my arm and my heart rate sped up. I don't even think he realized that he had grabbed my hand, but the gentle circles his thumb was drawing on my palm were driving me insane.

Eventually, I registered that the guys were standing and leaving, but Ranger was still writing down a few last notes on the meeting. He was completely focused on what he was doing and I was watching him so intently I nearly jumped out of my skin when his phone rang.

He released my hand to unclip his phone from his belt and answer it as he continued writing. While I listened to his monosyllabic side of the conversation, I settled my hand back in my own lap and tried to convince myself I didn't miss the contact. When I found myself loosing the inner debate, I focused on Ranger's conversation, trying to figure out what he was talking about.

"Okay," he said, brows drawn slightly together. "Al lright. Yes, tonight. Goodbye." Now I was really curious, because whoever it was merited a goodbye…

"What's tonight?" I asked as he flipped the phone shut.

"Dinner with my family," he said, turning towards me.

"Oh. Well, have fun."

"You're coming too."

"What if they hate me?" I asked. Personally, I felt like that was a very real possibility. I had, after all, married Ranger because I was drunk and I wasn't planning on staying married. It would definitely be easier for his mother to be angry at me than him.

"They won't," Ranger assured me. "They just want to meet the woman who finally got me married again. I always swore it would never happen."

"Okay," I said, trying to look relaxed even though I was still nervous. I tried to tell myself that all of the squishy feelings I had were nerves. But if I was honest, a part of me didn't like hearing that Ranger swore never to get married again. Not that I hadn't heard him say that before, it just confused me.

Ranger must have tuned into my inner musings, because he lifted my chin so I'd meet his eyes and tugged at a curl before reassuring me once again. "Dinner's going to be fine." Thank God his ESP hadn't picked up on my other problem.

I gave him a nod and a weak smile. It wasn't that I was convinced; it was more that I could tell this conversation wasn't going anywhere.

"We need to go make our statement," Ranger said, effectively changing the topic.

"Now?" To make our statement we had to go to the station. There was a good chance we could run into Joe and I wasn't sure I was up for that.

"Yeah, Babe. We need to get this taken care of so they'll give us any information they have on Harper."

"Fine." I sighed and allowed Ranger to pull me out of my chair.

I didn't speak the entire way to the garage. I knew I was pouting and I hated it. I just wasn't looking forward to another showdown with Joe and especially not in front of the entire Trenton PD.

In the garage, I followed Ranger to his Porsche and automatically headed for the passengers side, ready to climb in and continue my pouting. When Ranger put the keys in my hand and pointed me towards the driver's side, I felt myself automatically smile. Damn man knows just how to distract me and cheer me up.

As I pulled into the parking lot at the station, however, I wasn't so sure I liked driving. Sure the car was great, but combining me with Ranger's sports car had gotten us to the station in record time. If Ranger had driven, we would have gone at a reasonable speed and I would have had a few more minutes to put this off.

Walking towards the station, I took a steadying breath and reached for Ranger's hand, clasping it firmly in mine for support. As soon as he gave me a reassuring squeeze, I realized what I had done and automatically let go. Ranger just let out an amused chuckle.

Feeling myself blush a little, I sped up my walk to the station. Might as well escape this uncomfortable situation with another, I thought.

I was relieved to find an officer I was unfamiliar with working at the front desk. When Ranger and I informed him we needed to file a complaint against Blake Harper, he just gave us paperwork to fill out and pointed us in the direction of the lead detective who usually handled Harper's cases. I was just glad to see that it wasn't Morelli.

Down the hall, Ranger knocked firmly on the door the desk officer had indicated. The plate on the door said Dom Catori; I recognized the name and remembered him working with Joe a few times. I didn't know him personally though.

"Come in," we heard from the other side of the door.

"Detective Catori?" Ranger asked, as he opened the door and headed into the office.

"Yeah. How can I help you?"

"I'm Ranger Manoso and this is Stephanie Plum. We're filing a complaint against Blake Harper and were told to talk to you," Ranger said.

"Ah, yes, Blake Harper," Catori said, in a tone a vineyard owner would use for a favorite wine. "I find myself investigating him every few months or so. What's he done now? I know he's missed a few parole meetings and there's a warrant out for him. I was figuring I'd be reassigned to him soon."

"I own the security firm Rangeman," Ranger started. "We apprehended Harper last time he was FTA, along with the help of Ms. Plum. He is now targeting us both and we were interested in getting authorization to apprehend him."

"Targeting, how?"

"He's fired shots at both of us, as well as vandalizing my apartment and Ranger's car," I answered this time.

"And how do you know it's Harper?" Catori asked. He didn't do it in a way to imply he doubted us, but was taking notes and gathering information.

"My firm gathered prints from Stephanie's apartment and my car and they matched those we had on file for Harper," Ranger answered.

"Have there been any threats towards the rest of the apprehension team?"

"He seems to have fixated on Stephanie," Ranger said, "and is targeting me because we were recently married."

"Congratulations," Catori said.

Even if he didn't know me personally, I knew Catori had to have heard all about our marriage because of the gossip around the station. He must have known the circumstances surrounding the wedding, so I was impressed with how he chose to handle the situation… I had no idea what Joe had been telling people, either. It was still odd to receive congratulations. So far there hadn't been many of those. There had been many more reactions of shock…

I was jarred out of my thoughts when Ranger prodded me discreetly in the side. I hadn't meant to zone out, and when I snapped out of it, I noticed Catori writing something.

"All right," Catori said a moment later after looking over the complaint forms we'd signed and placed on his desk. He signed in the appropriate places and then filled out the paperwork authorizing Rangeman to fulfill the warrant for Harper.

"Thank you," Ranger and I said, shaking Catori's hand after he handed over the paperwork.

"You're welcome. Keep me posted on anything you find on Harper."

"Will do," Ranger said as we turned to exit the office.

I was just twisting the doorknob to open the door when I felt someone else doing the same from the other side. I was all ready for that awkward apology and two-step trying to get out of the other person's way, when I looked up into the brown eyes of Joe Morelli.

"Joe," I gasped out, not ready for the encounter.

"Steph," he said, giving me a little nod and then sliding past me into the office. He completely ignored Ranger.

Taking a deep breath, I felt my brows knit. Ranger placed a hand on the small of my back and steered me away from the office as Joe shut the door from within. I had been prepared for yelling, for accusations, for… anything but that. He had pretty much blown me off and it hurt more than I wanted to admit. He had been an important part of my life for a long time and I really wanted to be friends.

"You okay Babe?" Ranger asked softly once we were at the vehicle.

"Yeah," I answered as I handed him the keys. I didn't really feel like driving.

I went around to the passenger's side and climbed in. I was staring out my window when Ranger picked up my hand and gave it a squeeze.

"It'll get better," he said. "You know Joe's at the station now, so when we get back to the building, why don't you call his house and leave a message inviting him to Pino's to talk tomorrow?"

"You think he'd come?" I asked. I really wanted to talk to him.

"I don't know," Ranger said. "It won't hurt to try though."

"You're right," I agreed, and on impulse I leaned across the car to wrap my arms around Ranger. "Thanks."

"Anytime, Babe," Ranger said, giving my back a little rub. Then, he positioned me back in my own seat before starting up the car.

The ride back to Rangeman was completed in the usual silence, but it was a very comfortable silence. For once, I wasn't trying to think of ways to break it or wondering what Ranger was thinking about as he zoned. I was just content to sit back and enjoy.

At Rangeman, Ranger headed to his office and I headed to the apartment to make my call. My first try, I chickened out and hung up on the answering machine. Frustrated with myself, I wrote out what I wanted to say and dialed again. When I got the answering machine again, I was able to spit out a quick 'Joe, can we please talk? Meet me at Pino's tomorrow at one' and hung up again.

Letting out a big sigh, I headed for the bathroom. I was planning on getting one of the guys and going after a few more skips, but when I saw Ranger's bed, it looked so inviting. I was only going to spend a few minutes in my thinking position, reflecting on my call to Joe and lunch tomorrow, but of course, I fell asleep.

I woke up some time later to a beeping and eventually realized it was the alarm clock. Reaching out to shut it off I found a note on the nightstand, but first I had to stop the beeping which was getting gradually louder… Once successful, I unfolded the piece of paper and found it was from Ranger.

_Babe,_

_I hope you had a nice nap. I set the alarm so you would be up in time to get ready for dinner. Don't forget we're going to my parents. Try not to get too anxious and don't worry about dressing up. Dinner's casual._

Leaving the note on the pillow, I climbed out of bed rolling my eyes. 'Try not to worry' he says. He wasn't the one about to meet the mysterious Bat Family. The possibility of this actually happening had always been somewhere between discovering the meaning of life and developing a love of tofu…

_Guess there's no getting out of it though_, I thought as I stumbled towards the bathroom. A glance in the mirror showed that my nap had completely wrecked my hair, so I decided to wash it and start from scratch.

Once out of the shower, I wrapped myself in a towel and cracked the bathroom door, peeking into the bedroom. Finding it Ranger free, I headed for the closet and pulled on bra, underwear and jeans. Then I unwrapped the towel I had around my hair, and turned to the vanity and got to work. I rubbed some gel through my hair and let it air dry while I applied a light coat of makeup. When that was done, I dried my hair the rest of the way with the blow drier on low power to give me nice, soft curls.

Giving myself a nod of approval in the mirror, I turned back to the closet to pick out a shirt. Problem was I had no idea what to wear. This was supposed to be causal, but I wanted to look nice. I also didn't want to be too dressy either.

I was still standing in front of the closet in my jeans and bra when I heard Ranger enter the bedroom. Turning around in frustration, I beckoned him over to the closet.

"Help me pick out something to wear," I said.

"I like what you've got on now," Ranger said, giving me a low wattage wolf grin.

"I'm sure you do," I replied, placing my hands on my hips, "but I doubt your mother will."

"Babe, I'm the only one that needs to be worried. My mom is going to like you no matter what you're wearing, simply because you got me married," Ranger reassured me, even as he began flicking through the shirts I had hanging in his closet.

"What about when she hears we plan on getting a divorce?" I asked.

"She'll accept it, but hold out hope until we've crossed the t's and dotted the i's on all of the paperwork," Ranger said with a shrug as he held out a simple black, v-neck t-shirt.

Rolling my eyes, I motioned for him to try again. I didn't really want us to match. His second choice was a soft gray scoop-neck tee. I pulled on a powder-blue tank top first, then the shirt before checking the overall effect. Not bad. But just to be sure…

"You're sure this is okay?" I asked, turning to Ranger.

"You look great," he said once again in an assuring tone. "I'm going to get a shower. Go relax."

I tried to relax, honestly I did. It's just that I was finally meeting Ranger's family. Flopping on the couch, I started to wonder if I was at all what they were expecting. Had Ranger told them anything about me? He'd told me his family lived in a Cuban equivalent to the Burg, but I hoped they weren't expecting a Burg wife. And what if his Grandma Rosa had something like the Eye? I would be in big trouble.

"Babe," I heard suddenly, jerking me from my thoughts.

"Oh, hey," I said, turning my head to find Ranger standing in the doorway.

He was wearing jeans and a black t-shirt and had his wet hair pulled back. Breathing deeply, I could smell Bulgari. And there go my hormones… They definitely weren't helping my panicked state.

"Looking a little crazy, Babe," Ranger said, pulling me from the couch.

"I'm meeting your family."

"I know. But they don't bite, and my mother doesn't allow weapons at the dinner table."

That made me smile and I felt a little better. A woman that bans weapons from the dinner table can't be that bad, right? Then again, maybe I should be worried about why weapons were banned from dinner…

Taking a deep breath and blowing it out, I took Ranger's hand as he offered it to me. Figuring we might as well get this over with, I kept a hold of his hand and tugged him towards the door. Ranger, however, remained motionless, causing me to jerk backwards when our arms were fully extended.

Taking advantage of my sudden reverse in momentum he spun me into his chest, wrapping his arms around me. Before I knew it, he was brushing his lips across mine.

"They're, not that bad," he said, punctuating each word with another small kiss.

I just nodded back up at him, still unsure and slightly stunned by the light kissing. He must have only picked up on my doubt, because he decided to press his lips to mine in a much more intense kiss. I felt myself relax as I gave into the kiss and melted into Ranger. Minutes later, but much too soon, he pulled away.

"Feel better?" he asked.

I just nodded and let him take my hand and lead me to the elevator. In the garage, we found Cal and Woody waiting for us. They were going to escort us to and from dinner, but wouldn't be coming in, for which I was thankful. I definitely didn't want an audience for this.

Suddenly, Ranger was helping me into the Turbo. I heard doors slam as the guys climbed into a Bronco and we headed out. I just had to breathe.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

A/N: Please review and let me know what you think! I love getting feedback, and I'd love to hear what your thoughts are on the Manoso family dinner, Steph's call to Joe, how the story's going or anything really!


	11. Chapter 10

_They don't belong to me and I'm not making any money… Thank you all for reading and for all of the wonderful reviews. And a big thanks to haleigh.l for her help editing, I really appreciate it! _

_And I really hope you enjoy this chapter. Sorry it took me so long to get it posted, I'll try not to let it go so long again. My professors have been monopolizing my time, trying to cram as much info into the last few weeks as they can… I'd much rather be writing this than lab reports, but the end is in sight! _

**What Happens in Vegas**

**Chapter 10**

When Ranger and I left the Rangeman building, headed for his parents' house, I was nervous. When Ranger took the exit that would take us into Newark, a flock of butterflies took up residence in my stomach. When we entered what I recognized as his old neighborhood, the butterflies had a party and invited all their friends.

We passed the place he had parked while looking for Scrog and traveled the remaining block separating me from the Manoso house. Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I told myself I could do this. They were just Ranger's family. Right… I believed that.

When I felt the car come to a stop, I jerked my eyes open and looked up at the house Ranger had parked in front of. It was small and neat with sparkling windows. It would have fit into the Burg well.

I was still taking in the house, when I heard Ranger curse softly beside me.

"What's up?" I asked, afraid our stalker had somehow tailed us despite him, Cal and Woody.

"Babe, I'm really sorry. It was only supposed to be my parents and Grandma tonight, but it looks like my siblings are here too."

I wondered how he knew they were here until I saw him glaring slightly at some other vehicles parked near the house. That would do it.

"It'll be okay," I said, secretly hoping that it would. There wasn't anything I could really do about it now.

"Thanks."

I nodded and closed my eyes to take another few deep breaths. I heard Ranger get out of the car, but I wasn't ready yet. When I heard my door open, I opened my eyes and turned to find Ranger looking down at me.

"They're just my family," he said, taking my hand and pulling me out of the car.

"And that's the problem," I said softly.

"Explain."

"It's kind of intimidating to meet your family because you're always so quiet about them. I don't know much other than the number of siblings you have and that your grandmother likes to cook. And to them, I'm just the woman that married you and is planning to get divorced. On top of all that, I really want them to like me, but don't feel like they will."

When I finally stopped for air, Ranger reached out and wrapped me in his arms. We stood like that, beside the car, for a few moments before he spoke.

"You're more than 'the woman that married me' to them. The guys have been singing your praises for a while now and they know how you helped get Julie back. In fact, they'd been bugging me to bring you to dinner for awhile now."

"Really?" I asked, tilting my face up from it's hiding place against his chest.

"Really."

"Okay, then," I said, taking a deep breath. "Let's do this."

"Proud of you, Babe." He gave me one last squeeze and with a go-ahead from the guys, he led me up to the house.

Standing behind the screen door, I saw a petite, older woman with Ranger's coloring and smile. I was going to guess that was his mother. She held the door open for us and I felt the urge to bolt. Ranger must have picked up on that with is ESP though, because he tightened his grip on my hand as we headed through the door.

I'd barely registered the door closing, before I was wrapped in a tight embrace.

"Stephanie, it's so nice to finally meet you," Ranger's mother said.

"Uh, it's nice to meet you too, Mrs. Manoso," I replied, feeling a bit awkward as I returned her hug. My family doesn't hug and I've never gotten used to being hugged by strangers.

"Please, call me Gloria. We're family."

I nodded slightly as she released me and turned to Ranger. She hugged him as well, and then drew back before slapping him upside the head.

"You got married without telling your mother? And when were you going to tell me if the boys hadn't called? What am I going to do with you?"

I watched in wonder as she scolded Ranger in rapid Spanish now. I never could have imagined him, standing stock still, getting lectured for his actions. From the way he was taking it, however, I was going to bet that this wasn't something he was unfamiliar with. Eventually, she lost steam and cupped Ranger's cheek.

"I am happy for you, though," she said, before turning to me. "Both of you." I cringed at that, knowing that during dinner, we were going to have to tell her that we weren't planning on staying married.

Ranger must have noticed my discomfort because he pulled her attention back to himself.

"Is Abuela here?"

"No. She's cooking at the church dinner. She'd forgotten the dinner was tonight. Then by the time she remembered, it was too late to call you and reschedule since your sisters were arriving. She probably won't be back until later."

"Alright," Ranger said, before giving his mother a glare, which didn't seem to intimidate her in the least. "And what are the girls doing here?"

"I let it slip to Adalia that you were bringing Stephanie tonight and she must have told the others."

Before Ranger could reply, there was a beeping noise from the kitchen and Gloria spoke up again. "I have to finish up dinner. It shouldn't be long, so why don't you show Stephanie around and introduce her."

She disappeared quickly, leaving Ranger and I standing in the closed in porch.

"How're you holding up, Babe?"

"Good," I said. And I was. The nerves had diminished a bit and Gloria hadn't been bad. I'd been expecting a Cuban version of my own mother when I saw the house, but she'd been relatively calm… considering.

"You want the tour?"

I rolled my eyes at that. He should know by now that even nervous and intimidated, my curiosity can't be crushed. He just chuckled and took me by the hand to lead me further into the house.

We passed through the small foyer and poked our heads into the kitchen. We didn't stay long, but I did manage to catch a whiff of whatever Gloria was cooking, and it had me looking forward to dinner. Back through the foyer, Ranger pointed out a small powder room, and then led me towards what I assumed was the sitting room. I took a calming breath since I had a feeling we were about to run into more people.

Before we quite got to the door, Ranger dropped my hand. Confused, I turned to face him only to hear a shout of 'Uncle Carlos' as a bunch of kids catapulted themselves at him. He was quickly covered in them, with a small boy on his back, another in his right arm and a little girl in his left. I just cocked my head to one side and took in this unfamiliar image of Ranger.

Suddenly, the little girl turned to me and asked, "Who are you?"

"Uh," I said, unsure of how to reply. Thankfully, Ranger helped me out.

"Pilar, this is my wife, and your Aunt Steph," he said.

And I had a minor panic attack. He introduced me as his wife, which I guess was true… and Aunt Steph? Shit, I was their aunt.

"Okay," she replied, disentangling her arms from Ranger and reaching out for me. Still in shock, I took her without thinking about it.

"Babe, you okay?" Ranger asked, pulling me back to reality.

"Uh, yeah."

"Good, then I'll continue introductions. This is Nat," he said, bouncing the boy he was still holding before turning to look at the boy clinging to his back, "And this is Pedro."

"He's my twin," Pilar told me proudly.

"Really?" I asked, feigning interest. Kids are definitely not my specialty.

"Uh huh, but he's older."

"Oh," I said, not sure how else to respond. Thankfully, Ranger saved me once again.

"Why don't we introduce Aunt Steph to the rest of the family?" Ranger asked the kids.

They all nodded enthusiastically, so Ranger took my free hand again and led me into the room that the kids had come from. The room wasn't full as I had expected, but held only thee women who had been sitting and talking. They stopped as we entered, and suddenly I felt very awkward. I may not be good with kids, but I was okay meeting them. They weren't going to judge me, and were pretty easy to please. Ranger's sisters may be a different story.

"Breathe, Babe," Ranger whispered, as he squeezed my hand and led me further into the room.

Closing my eyes for a moment, I took yet another deep breath and allowed him to lead me over to a couch where three women were sitting.

"Mama," said Pilar, climbing from me to the woman on the left, "this is Aunt Steph."

"Hello, Steph," she said, extending her hand. "I'm Adalia. It's nice to finally meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too," I said automatically, shaking her hand.

"That's my mama," Nat said proudly, pointing to the woman who was sitting in the middle.

"I'm Celia," she said, also extending her hand.

"And I'm Maria, Carlos' sister-in-law. I'd shake, but I don't want to wake Alva," she said, indicating the baby that was sleeping in her arms.

"Not a problem. It's nice to meet you both."

"The pleasure's all ours," said Celia, shooting Ranger a glare. "You probably didn't even know Carlos had a family. We've been hearing all about you from the guys for a while now."

"I don't know what the guys told you, but it wasn't my fault," I said before I even thought about it.

"Don't worry, it was all good," Adalia assured me.

"Right," I said, not wholly convinced. "And Ranger did tell me about you. A little."

"Probably just so you wouldn't think he was some sort of Army-issue machine," I heard from behind me.

Turning around, I found a softer, more domestic-looking version of Ranger. I was going to go out on a limb and say that was his brother.

"Yeah, Babe, this is Antonio. And behind him, is my father Manuel, Celia's husband Ben and Adalia's husband Teo."

I nodded, shook all of their hands and told them it was nice to meet them. Thank God I was used to large Burg families, or I'd be quite overwhelmed right about now. We made random small talk for a few minutes until it slowly died down. Suddenly, I was feeling very awkward and conscious that everyone was avoiding bringing up Ranger and my Vegas wedding. I knew they'd ask eventually, but right now, I wasn't ready.

Ranger seemed to notice my discomfort and shrugged off the boys that were still hanging on him before pulling me from the group a bit. "I'm going to finish giving Steph the tour before dinner. You can get to know her a bit more when we eat."

With that, he led me from the room and up a flight of stairs. I tried to stop every few steps to check out the pictures of Ranger and his siblings along the way, but he drug me up the stairs and down a hall. Near the end, he pushed open a door before leading me over to a bed where we both sat down. I immediately relaxed onto his shoulder and closed my eyes.

"How're you holding up, Babe?"

"Okay, I guess. I'm just waiting for someone to bring up us being married, though. I'm not sure I'm prepared for that conversation."

"Yeah," Ranger agreed as he scooted us backwards and stretched out on the bed, pulling me down beside him. "They're just curious. They'll ask some questions, but will accept our decision without much resistance."

"Mmm." I wasn't sure what to say, so I just made a sound of agreement as I snuggled into Ranger. I kind of wished we could just stay here all evening and not face his family.

"This was my room," Ranger said after a few minutes of laying in silence.

"Really?" I suddenly took a bit more interest in the room as I swung my eyes around.

It was painted a soft yellow, with a floral border and lacy, white bed clothes. Rolling to look at Ranger, I attempted an eyebrow lift. I don't think I pulled it off because he just laughed and snuggled me closer.

"Mama redecorated a bit."

"So, what'd it look like before?" I asked. If I was lucky, I might just find out some more about my man of mystery. He seemed amazingly relaxed here, and I was going to take advantage of that.

"Well, the walls were white, but covered in heavy metal posters. And the bedspread was blue, but the bed was never made this neatly. The floor was usually covered in the contents of the room and there was a 'do not enter' sign on the door."

"Private even at a young age," I teased.

"It never worked," he said, just as the door burst open and two twenty something's came rushing into the room. "And there's why," he continued, in a long suffering voice.

"Steph!" exclaimed one of the girls as they flopped onto the bed with Ranger and me. "We finally get to meet you."

"Uh," I said, turning my head to Ranger.

"Babe, these are my younger sisters, Mira and Elisa. What are you two doing here?"

"Adalia called and said you were bringing Steph to dinner," said Mira. "We wanted to meet our new sister."

"And see our wonderful big brother," said Elisa, wrapping Ranger in a hug that he tolerated with a glower. I just barely suppressed a giggle.

"How much do I have to pay you two to go back to your apartment?" Ranger asked.

"Not enough money in the world, big bro," Mira said, leaning over me and giving him a kiss on the forehead.

"Then how about you go back downstairs?"

"Only if you come with us. Mama sent us to get you for dinner."

"Fine. Go. We'll be down in a minute."

"Now Carlos," said Elisa in a mock serious tone. "You know Mama never let you have girls alone in your room."

"Go."

"Fine, but if we get in trouble, it was all your fault. Steph, you'll back us up right?"

"Sure." Anything to get them out of the room before they ordered themselves one-way tickets to a third world country.

Ranger let out a sigh before getting off the bed and pulling me with him. "Ready for this, Babe?"

"No, but I doubt I ever will be, so let's get it over with."

"Proud of you," he whispered into my hair. I felt the usual warmth those words caused spread through my belly and felt like I really could do this.

Getting off the bed, Ranger led me downstairs and into the dining room. The massive table, which stretched across the room, was piled with food and crowded with people. I followed Ranger into the room and tried not to make eye contact as he secured us a pair of seats near the middle of the table.

When we were seated, I finally braved a look around the table. I had noticed the noise level drop dramatically, to that of the kids only, when we entered the room. All of the adults were paying rapt attention to Ranger and me. Turning my eyes to Ranger, I could see that he was not happy with the situation, so I grabbed his hand under the table and gave it a squeeze. Like he had said earlier, they were just curious. And I could understand that, especially if they had ever heard his stand on relationships.

"So," said Gloria, breaking the silence. "Steph, you have to let me know how to get in touch with your mother so we can plan a reception."

"Oh no, that won't be necessary," I started before she spoke again.

"It's the least we can do, since we didn't get to help with the wedding."

I turned my head towards Ranger and gave him a look that clearly said he could deal with this. There was no way I was starting the divorce conversation.

"Actually Mama, Steph and I hadn't planned on getting married."

"Maybe not, but you are married and there's not much you can do."

"We were thinking we'd get un-married," Ranger replied. Did he think if he said un-married instead of divorced it would trick her? If he did, it didn't work.

"A divorce?" Gloria asked, while his sisters replied with things such as, "Carlos don't be ridiculous," and "You can't get divorced." His father continued eating, much like I expected mine would. The other men in the family gave Ranger looks that showed exactly how crazy they thought he was to say such a thing to their mother.

"Steph, is that what you want?" Adalia asked me suddenly, locking her eyes to mine. I was startled by how similar her gaze was to Ranger's when he wanted to know something. And I had thought the Army taught him that.

"Umm, marriage wasn't in my plan either," I said, trying to avoid the question.

It hadn't been part of the plan, but now I didn't really know what I wanted. A week ago, I certainly wasn't looking to get married again any time soon, and the thought of marriage to Joe always terrified me.

But the idea of marriage to Ranger was completely different. I was realizing my love for him was completely different than that for Joe. What terrified me about Ranger, was that I might actually want to be married to him. But, whatever my feelings, I was still too confused to explain them to myself, let alone Ranger's family.

"But now that you are married?" Mira prompted undeterred.

I felt my eyes get big and my cheeks flush as I tried to think of a way around this question. I was just beginning to panic when Gloria came to my rescue.

"Don't interrogate her, girls," she ordered. "This is Carlos and Stephanie's decision. I do think you two should make a go of your marriage before you decide to end it, though."

"We're not ending it immediately," I blurted out, wanting to placate her.

"Really?" Maybe that wasn't such a good idea. Judging by how Ranger tightened his grip on my hand, I was betting that it wasn't.

"We are having a bit of a problem with a stalker right now, and we're going to get that taken care of first," he said.

"So for the time being you're staying married?" Celia asked.

"Yes," Ranger said, before pointedly tuning to his brother and brothers-in-law and pointedly turning the conversation to some recent news.

They had watched the entire conversation so far as one would a tennis match and looked about as relieved as I felt that it was over.

I spent a few minutes watching Ranger talk with his brothers. I'd never seen him like this and it was fascinating to witness this side. Eventually, I nibbled on the food that was in front of me and nearly moaned out loud at the explosion of flavor inside my mouth. When Ranger stopped speaking to give my hand another little squeeze before picking the conversation back up, I realized I may not have been entirely successful.

I was feeling a little embarrassed and self-conscious with the knowledge that the eyes of Ranger's sisters and mother were still on me. Casting about my mind for a safe topic, I took another bite of the wonderful creation in front of me.

"This is wonderful," I said, looking up to meet Gloria's eyes.

"Thank you. It's one of Carlos' favorites. I could teach you how to make it if you want."

Oh shit. Time to confess my lack of domestic skill. "Um, I can't really cook."

I was cringing, waiting for her shock when she gave me a little smile.

"Well, you'll just have to get Carlos to make it for you."

I felt Ranger's hand tense up very slightly in mine and had to suppress a laugh. Batman's family was revealing information and there wasn't much he could do about it.

We talked about inconsequential things for awhile before Mira, who was the youngest and chattiest of Ranger's sisters, finally broke down and asked about my car history.

"Is it true you really blew up Carlos' Boxter? Sometimes I don't believe everything Lester and Bobby tell us."

"It wasn't my fault," I said with a sigh. Ranger just chuckled beside me.

After that, we talked some more about my bounty hunting escapades. They asked me about the Burg and laughed at how similar it was to their own neighborhood. I also got some stories about Ranger as a child that ranged from sweet to hilarious. Though it all, I could see the tension in his jaw, but he never tried to stop them. He only protested slightly when, after dinner, Gloria got out all of his old school pictures to show me. He hadn't been kidding when he said he was a skinny kid…

By the end of the evening, I was completely in love with Ranger's family. And I'm pretty sure they liked me too. They made Ranger promise to bring me back some time, and then made me promise to make him keep his promise. Gloria said she was going to take full advantage of the time I was her daughter-in-law, and then after that, she'd have to accept I was a friend of the family. That made me smile.

Eventually, we had to leave and Ranger called Cal and Woody to escort us back out to the Turbo. Once we were safely locked in and buckled up, Ranger turned and gave me a grin.

"You charmed my family, Babe. I was expecting my mother to give me a harder time about getting divorced, but instead she's accepting your decision. Didn't I tell you there was nothing to worry about?"

"Yeah," I admitted. "Just don't expect things to go as smoothly when we have dinner with my family."

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

A/N: So, how was dinner with the Manosos? Please review and tell me what you though! I love getting feedback and it puts me in the mood to write when my muse is being lazy…


	12. Chapter 11

_They don't belong to me and I'm not making any money… _

_Thank you all for reading and for all of the wonderful reviews. As always, a big thanks to Harmne and haleigh.l for their help editing! I really appreciate it… And I know I said this chapter would come quicker, but school ended, I moved and we didn't have internet set up in the new house! But it's all good now!_

**What Happens in Vegas**

**Chapter 11**

Dragging slowly to consciousness, I struggled to figure out what had disrupted my sleep. I was comfy and snuggled into a warm Ranger. All was right with the world. And then I realized Ranger was trying to gently pull his body out from under mine.

"No," I mumbled, tightening my hold on him.

"Go back to sleep, Babe," he said softly. "Unless you want to come running with me."

"Ungh." I grudgingly relinquished my hold and pulled the covers back up over my head, only to hear Ranger chuckling as he succeeded in getting out of bed.

The next time I woke, it was to Ranger, peppering kisses over my face. It felt nice. At least it did until he spoke as he pulled my covers away. "Gym time, Babe."

"No, I went to the gym yesterday," I said, reaching around behind me for my lost blankets.

"It's good for you," he said, seizing my arm and pulling me into a sitting position.

"So's sleep," I argued.

"We're leaving in five minutes."

Grumbling, I drug myself to the bathroom and got ready to go to the gym. Yesterday really hadn't been that bad, and I wasn't that sore… It was just so early.

We didn't quite make it out of the apartment in the five minutes Ranger had given me, but he didn't say anything. Maybe it was the glare I was sending him as we climbed into the elevator to ride to the third floor. I was trying to be angry with him, but as usual it didn't have much of an effect. Instead, he grabbed me and pulled me to his chest, squeezing me in a hug. It felt nice, and I felt myself relaxing into his body against my will.

We stayed like that for the rest of the short ride, until the doors opened with a ping and Ranger led me out by the hand.

The first thing we did when we made it to the gym was a quick stretch before going over the holds and breaks Ranger had taught me yesterday. I actually surprised myself when I could remember everything and managed to free myself when Ranger grabbed me.

Then, Ranger grabbed me in a different way than he had the day before. I immediately tried to get myself free using what I'd learned for the other hold, but it was no help. I was stuck again.

"How am I ever going to get free from someone if I have to learn a different way to get out of every hold? We'll be doing this until I'm Grandma Mazur's age."

"It won't be that bad. I knew that yesterday's move wouldn't get you out of this, so I did it on purpose."

"Meanie."

"Babe, I'm trying to help you."

That was just the opening I needed. While we had been talking, Ranger had slightly loosened the hold he had on me. When I felt free enough, I spun around and dropped out of his arms.

"Ha," I said, bouncing away from him.

He stood there for a moment, seemingly stunned before letting out a laugh. "You think you're smart do you?" he asked, suddenly lunging for me and grabbing me again.

Before I knew it, I was in another hold I couldn't get out of. I struggled for a few minutes, but eventually I gave up with a sigh.

"So show me how to get out of this one."

"You're learning, Babe," he said, pressing a kiss into my hair before helping me work through the steps to get free.

After an hour, I could free myself from the hold, but I couldn't manage to keep a hold of Ranger when I tried it on him. I got frustrated, but Ranger assured me I wasn't doing anything wrong. There was too much of a size difference for me to effectively use the move on him and I needed to learn to recognize when that would be an issue. There were ways to control someone larger, but we'd work on them later, he told me.

Ranger declared the lesson over, but I was pumped and ready for more. I was really enjoying learning self defense and it wasn't like the real exercise that he'd tried to make me do before. It let me use my mind and constantly try something new without wearing me out.

"We've been working for an hour, Babe. I don't want you to be sore. How about I teach you some other escape skills?"

"Like what?"

"How to pick your way out of a pair of handcuffs."

"Really?" I asked. That was something I could use.

"Yes. Even though it will destroy all hope I have of getting another call to free you from your shower."

I rolled my eyes at that. I'd pretty much gotten over the shower incident and was determined not to give Ranger the reaction he was looking for. Besides, he'd seen me naked since then and had gotten a much better view.

My non-reaction caused Ranger to laugh before leading me out of the gym to get a set of cuffs and then into an empty conference room to practice. Looking around the room, I suddenly remembered Ranger had a business to run and started to feel a bit guilty about monopolizing his day.

"Don't worry about it. This is why it's good to be the boss".

Reassured I wasn't wasting his time, I held out my wrist for a handcuff, but Ranger just laughed and slapped the cuffs on a chair.

"First you have to learn to pick the lock."

Learning to open the cuffs took nearly half an hour and I was about crazy by the time I got them open. When I finally did, I jumped up and danced around before wrapping Ranger in a hug.

"I did it!" I said, looking up with a huge smile on my face.

"Yeah, you did. Good job, Babe." With that, he leaned down and gently touched his lips to mine. Fisting my hands in his shirt, I instinctively tried to pull him down to deepen the kiss. He pulled away, though, and just wrapped his arms more tightly around me, burying his face in my hair. "You're hard not to love," he said after a long minute.

"Same could be said about you," I whispered into his chest.

As I pulled back, slightly embarrassed and unsure what to say next, I was saved by the bell as Ranger's phone went off.

"Yo," Ranger barked into his phone, never breaking eye contact with me. Looks like he wasn't happy about being interrupted.

"What's up?" I asked as soon as Ranger disconnected. I was hoping to keep him from bringing up the little display of feelings we'd just had. He'd told me I was hard not to love. Did that mean he was trying not to? Or that he did, despite himself? And I couldn't believe what I'd let slip out. I didn't want him to know how deeply I felt about him in case it made him back away…

"I've got a crew installing a security system and they're having trouble with the client," he said, interrupting my thoughts. "I have to go take care of it."

"Oh." Did he just tell me what he was going to do?

"Babe," Ranger said with a laugh, obviously reading my thoughts. "Don't forget to take someone with you today. And I'm sending a pair of guys with you to lunch with Morelli, so they can watch your back and give you some space."

"Thank you."

We headed up to the seventh floor, and Ranger showered first. When he was dressed, he brushed a kiss across my lips, reminded me to be safe and was off to do his thing. With a big sigh to get myself moving again, I headed for the bathroom to take my turn in the shower.

The bathroom was still slightly foggy and the air was heavily scented with Bulgari, making me painfully aware that Ranger had just been in here. I never had this sort of reaction to sharing a bathroom with Joe. Sure, I got happy feelings when I walked in and smelled that clean, manly smell, but it rarely made me want to drag him back into the bathroom with me. But if it did, I could give into the urge. Somehow, I don't think that sort of behavior with Ranger would be good for my emotional health.

Determined to cast thoughts of Ranger from my mind, I climbed into the shower. I was impressed with my own willpower as I avoided the Bulgari and managed to use the amber and sandalwood gel Ella had left for me. It was different from what I normally used, but good, and the smell mixed well with the lingering scent of the Bulgari without being overpowering.

Out of the shower, I toweled off and got myself dressed for the day. I ran gel through my hair, dried it into loose curls and then applied my makeup. In preparation for lunch with Joe, I applied a few extra swipes of mascara for courage and then deemed myself done.

I looked at the clock and saw I only had about two hours until I had to meet with Joe. Not enough time to bother going after skips in case I got messy and had to come clean up. But I didn't want to just hang out in the apartment for that long either.

Heading to the fifth floor, I wandered into the control room and found Tank checking something on Zero's monitor. When he stood to head out, I flagged him down.

"What's up, Bomber? You going after skips?"

"No, I'm gonna hang out here until my lunch with Joe. Do you have any work I can do? Maybe some searches?"

"I'll see what I can find. Why don't you go get settled into your old cubicle?"

Wandering through the maze of cubicles, I headed for the corner of the building that housed Ranger's office. Poking my head into the cubicle, I noticed that no one was using it any more, so I settled into my chair and spun in circles to keep myself from thinking while I waited on Tank. Not long later, I heard I pile of folders drop onto my desk and turned to find Tank watching me with a look of amusement.

"There you go. I went to visit your favorite person, and immediately got a stack of requests."

Looking at the folder on top, I confirmed my suspicions when I saw Rodriguez's familiar signature. "How come I've never met this guy?" I asked, looking up at Tank.

"He makes Ranger look like a social butterfly."

"Huh."

With that, I grabbed the folder from the top of the stack, booted up my computer and got to work. I didn't stop for nearly two hours until a knock on my door interrupted me. I'd forgotten how much I liked this cyber snooping.

"Hey, Bomber," Lester said when I looked up. "You ready to head for lunch?"

"Uh, yeah." Looking at the clock, I was shocked to see that it was already time to leave. "Who's coming with me?"

"Me and Cal."

"Okay, just let me get my things."

I rounded up my purse, made sure my gun was in there and loaded and then found the guys to head for the garage. We loaded into a Bronco, me in the back, hidden behind heavily tinted windows and made our way to Pino's.

Once there, the guys ushered me in and accessed the area before they let me take a seat. Joe wasn't there yet, so the guys secured the back corner booth and sat with me while I waited. It wasn't long before Joe showed up, and Lester and Cal stood and took a booth where they would give me space but be able to keep an eye on me.

"Body guards?" Joe asked as he slid into the booth. I had to give him credit for keeping his voice relatively neutral.

"I'm sure you've heard Ranger and I have a stalker," I said, trying to remain calm also. I wanted to clear things up between Joe and I, and I couldn't do that if we fought.

"At least your husband's taking care of you."

"Joe," I said in a slightly warning tone.

Before he could respond, the waitress came over to take our orders. We both ordered meatball subs and a coke. Guess Joe was on duty.

"So, what'd you want to talk about?" Joe asked once we were alone again.

"Us."

"I thought there was no 'us' anymore. Even if there had been, you marrying Manoso put an end to it."

"Ranger and I getting married was a mistake. A mistake we made while we were drunk. You can't honestly tell me you never woke up in the morning and realized you did something while drunk you hadn't meant to."

"No I can't. But I can tell you that those things were done because of a loss of inhibition. Somehow, I don't think you would have married me drunk." This was said a bit bitterly and I wasn't really sure how to respond.

"Joe, we don't work as a couple and I know that eventually you'll agree with me. I'd really like it if we could be friends, though. We're good as friends."

"Can you answer a couple questions for me first? And answer them honestly, Cupcake?"

"I'll try," I said warily.

"When you said it was the end before your trip to Vegas, did you really mean it?

"Yes. Somehow I realized we want different things from life. That doesn't mean that I don't love you."

"Do you love Manoso too?"

I stared at Joe in shock, unsure what to say. Eventually he just nodded his head, letting me know my face and silence had given my answer away.

"I'm sorry. I don't know how it happened. I never meant to love both of you," I whispered.

"Don't be sorry. I've had some time to think, and you're right when you say we want different things. I'm trying to settle down and you're fighting to fly. I always tried to hold you back."

"I'll never be what you need, Joe."

"And I'm not what you need. As hard as it is to say, you need Manoso."

I squeezed my eyes shut at that, because I knew it was the truth. Too bad I would never have him as more than a friend. But if that was all I could have of either of these men, it's what I'd take. What hurt was that I thought that Ranger and I, if we actually tried, could make it work.

In the end, I ignored the comment about Ranger and hoped Joe would ignore my reaction.

"I need you too," I told Joe. "Just as a friend. You never answered my question about us being friends. Please remember I never meant to hurt you."

"I know you didn't and of course we'll still be friends, Cupcake." He paused for a minute. "The 'Cupcake' thing may take some time to quit, so be patient," Joe said sheepishly.

"Don't worry about it, it would feel weird if you quit."

After that, we were interrupted again by the waitress brining out food. We didn't speak much after that as we enjoyed our subs. There also wasn't much left for us to say. Now we were just bonding again over greasy, delicious Italian food.

We paid the bill when we were done and I even remembered to wait for Cal and Lester before trying to leave. That got me an approving grin from Joe and I had to roll my eyes.

"What? No smart ass comments about the mess I got myself in?"

"Nope. I'm just impressed that you're cooperating."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked. By this time we were making our way to the door, followed by the guys. I guess they figured I was safe with Joe to one side.

"Cupcake, you know that you usually get stubborn and impulsive when someone tries to protect you."

"Well, I'll have you know that this time, I happen to agree with the protection." Joe just gave me an incredulous look. "And Ranger has bodyguards too," I said more softly. "If he can put up with it, I can too."

"That's the Steph I know," Joe said, chucking me under the chin as we made our way into the parking lot.

I was about to protest his last comment, when suddenly shots sounded from somewhere near by. Before I could react, I found myself pinned to the ground under Lester. Straining my neck, I looked up to see Cal and Joe standing over us with guns drawn, accessing the area. After a few minutes, they decided it was clear and I was pulled up and hurried to the Bronco.

Joe followed us in and was watching Lester and Cal with new respect.

"Thank you," Joe said, holding out his hand. "You just protected Steph with your lives."

"She's one of us," Lester said with a shrug. Cal simply nodded. Joe had never really trusted Ranger's men, but then again, he never really saw them when they weren't working with criminals and junkies.

Joe nodded before speaking again. "I can take your statements here and save you all a trip to the station. I'll also update Catori."

"Thanks," I said, before recounting the shooting that had just occurred… Basically hearing shots and being thrown to the ground.

The guys didn't see anything more than Joe himself did, so we were done quickly and Joe was out of the Bronco.

"I think we made a new friend," Lester said, as he fired up the truck.

"Yeah, you did." I think Joe had finally realized that Ranger and the guys did protect me rather than promoting dangerous behavior. Their protection was just different than his.

"So are you and he okay?" Lester asked.

"We will be. He admits that our relationship wasn't going anywhere and believes that I didn't run away to Vegas to marry Ranger. Both good things."

"Yeah, but now we have to go tell Ranger you got shot at again. Not a good thing."

"You don't think he's going to try to lock me in a safe house do you?"

"Not sure," said Cal, finally speaking up.

"If he does, will you listen?" asked Lester.

I bit my lip and thought for a minute. I hated safe houses and the entire idea of hiding. "I don't know. Probably only if he decided he needed to be in one too."

That just made both of the guys grin. They knew it would never happen.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

A/N: Thanks for reading and please review, I appreciate any and all feed back!


	13. Chapter 12

_I don't own them and I'm not making any money… Also, a bit thanks to haleigh.l for her help editing this chapter, I really appreciate it! Other than that, please enjoy!_

**What Happens in Vegas**

**Chapter 12**

"_Yeah, but now we have to go tell Ranger you got shot at again. Not a good thing."_

"_You don't think he's going to try to lock me in a safe house do you?"_

"_Not sure," said Cal, finally speaking up._

"_If he does, will you listen?" asked Lester._

_I bit my lip and thought for a minute. I hated safe houses and the entire idea of hiding. "I don't know. Probably only if he decided he needed to be in one too."_

_That just made both of the guys grin. They knew it would never happen. _

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Back at Rangeman, Cal, Lester and I headed straight for Ranger's office. I knocked softly on the door and we entered to find him bent over some paperwork.

"Problem?" he asked, probably sensing there had been trouble since my bodyguards and I had turned up in his office.

"I got shot at again."

"At Pino's?"

"Yeah. As we were leaving. But everyone's okay and Joe already got our statements. Please don't try to make me go to a safe house."

That just got me a raised eyebrow.

"Please," I repeated, going around the desk to stand beside Ranger's chair.

He spent a moment in silent communication with Lester and Cal, and after a minute there was a round of nods and the guys left. When we were alone, he pulled me down onto his lap and ran his hands up and down my arms and over my face. I tried to raise my eyebrow at him.

"Just reassuring myself that you're okay," Ranger said into my hair. "I don't really like it when you come in here saying you've been shot at."

"Yeah, but how do I stand on the 'you trying to send me to a safe house' thing?"

"Babe, why do you keep saying 'trying'?"

"Because I won't go quietly or peacefully."

I could feel a laugh deep in his chest before he spoke. "Don't worry; I don't think it's time for a safe house quite yet."

"Good. Because I'm only going when you go."

"Do you really want to be locked in a safe house with me? For who knows how long?" He gave me a low wattage wolf grin and I felt myself go pink. I still couldn't help teasing back

"That sounds like a challenge, Mr. Manoso."

"What would you do if it was, Mrs. Manoso?"

My heart skipped a beat at the name, but I recovered quickly and rolled my eyes. "It's still _Ms. Plum_ to you, and I'd turn the challenge down. It would probably be a trick to get me into the safe house."

I felt another silent laugh before Ranger leaned in and kissed me on the tip of my nose. Did that mean I won? I never win when I start teasing Ranger.

"Yeah, Babe, you win this round. Don't expect me to let it happen too often."

"Deal."

"And since I'm not trying to ship you off to a safe house, can you do me a favor for today?"

"That depends," I said warily.

"Will you stay in the building, just for today? Pino's was full of cops and he still took a shot. It's unlikely he was trying to do more than scare you, but I'd appreciate it if you'd lay low for a bit."

I almost argued automatically, but the fact that Ranger was asking registered before I got the words out. And he was giving me reasons for his request. I guess I could be reasonable also.

"Okay," I said after a minute.

"Thanks, Babe."

"Yeah, but you better call up Rodriguez and have him send some more searches. I'm going to need something to do."

"Consider it done," Ranger said, giving me another quick 'thank you' kiss before I hopped off his lap.

I headed for my usual cubicle. I may not be doing any bounty hunting today, but I was about to do a stakeout. Ranger was having Rodriguez bring me searches and I was going to wait for him to show up. He usually dropped them off when I stepped out, but this time I'd be watching.

Five minutes later, I was spinning circles in my chair and debating the merits of running for a drink and sandwich. I could practically see the break room from my cubicle… I was just about to make a dash when Tank stuck his head through my door.

"I have your searches for you."

"Huh? I thought Rodriguez was bringing them."

"He was, but he ran into me in the hall and asked me to drop them off. Why?"

"I've done a couple thousand searches for him and still have no idea who he is. It drives me nuts."

"Poor Bombshell. I promise he really exists."

"Yeah, yeah."

Tank's only response was to let out a bark of laughter and toss the files on my desk. With a sigh, I got to work on them and before I knew it I was completely immersed in digging up clues and piecing together puzzles.

The shrill ring tone I had assigned to my mother startled me out of my work some time later. Digging the phone from my bag, I debated the merits of answering versus ignoring the call. I hadn't talked to her for a day or so and I still hadn't brought Ranger for dinner. By now I was probably pushing a lifelong ban on dessert. Sighing, I answered the phone.

"Hey, Mom."

"Stephanie Plum, why am I hearing about you being shot at outside of Pino's? And why were you having lunch with Joe Morelli? What about your husband?"

"Mom," I tried to interrupt.

"What will people think of you having lunch with your ex? You should stay home and be a good wife now. Stop bounty hunting and you won't get shot at."

"Mom," I interrupted more loudly this time.

"There's no need to shout. Really, I thought I taught you better phone manners than that."

"You did," I said, not wanting to waste breath arguing. "What was the point of this call?

"I've been getting calls about you all day. You need to come to dinner. And bring Ranger."

"Mom, we have a stalker and are trying to lie low," I tried.

"It's dinner with your family Stephanie. Unless you're locked away somewhere safe, I expect you sitting at the table at six."

She had me there, because I definitely wasn't staying hidden yet. "Fine. But it may be more than just Ranger and I. Some of his men might be with us, acting as body guards." I really hoped I could talk the guys into coming in for dinner. The larger the crowd, the more focused Mom would be on being a proper hostess and the less focused she would be on me.

"Of course," was all she said. Knowing more guests may be coming, she would go into Burg wife hyper-drive, cooking and giving the house and extra cleaning.

We hung up shortly after that, but only with another promise that I was coming to dinner. I stashed my phone back in my bag and then headed off to find Ranger. With any luck, he'd say it was too dangerous for us to go out and we had to stay here… I'd even agree to stay in for a few extra days.

I met Ranger just as he was leaving his office, so I snagged him by the arm and drug him back in.

"Babe?" he asked.

"I just got a call from my mother. She expects us for dinner at six. _Please_ say the stalker situation is too dangerous for us to go out."

"We have to face your mother at some point," Ranger said, wrapping an arm around me and pulling me into a comforting hug.

"Yeah, but I was hoping we could put it off until next year…"

"I know. But we can't, so we might as well get it over with."

"Fine. What time is it?"

I felt Ranger lift his arm from around my waist as he looked at his watch. "About quarter to five."

"I'm going to go start getting ready then," I said with a sigh as I pulled away. "Remember, we have to be there by six."

"I'll be ready."

We both left the office; Ranger to go about whatever he was doing and me to go prepare for dinner. Up in the apartment, I got a shower, gelled my hair and then flopped on the bed in my reverse thinking position. This means sprawled on my stomach so my hair would dry without getting smashed.

Keeping my eyes wide open, I willed myself not to go to sleep. I really needed to think and prepare myself for the interrogation I was sure to get from my mother.

I thought about the dinner I'd had there the other night… we'd already been over the fact that I'd actually gotten married in Vegas, so that would only get cursory attention. I'd sort of hinted that the marriage wasn't going to last, so I was sure that would come up. Val had saved me from much grilling last time, but somehow I was thinking less Plum madness would be better tonight. Mom hadn't said whether or not Val and crew were coming to dinner, so I decided to give my favorite big sister a call.

"Hello, Kloughn residence," she said after a few rings.

"Hey, Val."

"Steph. Is something wrong?" I really needed to call my sister more often.

"No, I was just wondering if you were going to Mom and Dad's for dinner tonight."

"I wasn't planning on it. Albert's sister is in town and we were going to take her and her husband to Rossini's."

"Okay," I said, hoping she'd drop it and let me off the phone.

No such luck though. "Why'd you want to know if we were going to dinner?"

"Umm, Mom called and told me I was coming tonight and bringing Ranger."

"Poor Stephie," Val said, using her annoying childhood nickname for me. "So, were you calling to ask for support or to ask me not to come?"

"Well, I was going to ask you not to come," I said, hoping not to hurt her feelings.

Thankfully, she just laughed. "Not ready to introduce your husband to the insanity which is the Plum family?"

"He's already been introduced. I was just thinking the less insanity tonight the better."

"That's understandable," she said before I heard a loud wail in the background. "Steph, I have to go. Good luck tonight and don't let Mom get under your skin too much."

"I'll try. And thanks Val."

When we hung up, I had a smile on my face. Val's fall from grace had done her a lot of good. She was human now, and I felt like we could relate to one another much better these days. We'd never be best friends, but we could be sisters and not hate it. It felt nice.

I placed my phone on the night stand and went back to thinking about dinner. There were millions of possible scenarios, but all of them consisted of me telling my mother I was getting divorced and her yelling and tippling. Sighing, I checked the clock and saw I was out of thinking time. It was time to finish getting ready, and then face the firing squad.

Ranger came in not much later while I was running around in jeans and a tank top, oscillating between the dresser and closet, looking for something to wear and throwing vetoed items onto the bed.

"Babe, it looks like Macy's exploded in here," Ranger said, snagging me mid-dash back to the dresser.

"Ranger, I don't have time for this," I said wiggling in an attempt to get free. "I need to find something to wear."

"Looks like you found lots of things to wear, but don't like them," he said, directing his eyes to the bed.

"Maybe," I agreed, trying again to get free.

Instead of releasing me, Ranger tightened his hold with one arm while using the other to snag a shirt from the pile on the bed.

"I like this one," he said, holding up a teal long-sleeved shirt.

"So do I, but my mother will probably say the color is too bold or wrong for my skin tone or something." And then I made another bid for freedom, or maybe for the closet to try another sweater…

"Babe," Ranger said, squeezing me tighter and tilting my head up so I'd meet his eyes. "Even if you were dressed perfectly, is there any chance your mother would accept what you have to say tonight?"

I had to think about that one for a minute. "Only if I told her we were living happily ever after, I was already pregnant and I was giving up bounty hunting," I finally conceded.

"Which we're not and, uh, you're not… right?" There was a bit of an apprehensive look on Ranger's face, and I decided it was because of the pregnant comment.

"Not any time soon," I reassured him, giving him a squeeze then finally slipping out of his arms.

Then, cocking my head to the side, I grabbed the teal shirt and slipped it on before pointing him to the bathroom. We had to get a move on if we were going to make it before the roast was ruined.

While Ranger showered, I finished up my makeup and hair and then hightailed it out of the bedroom when I heard the shower shut off. I did not need that temptation before facing down my mother. Heading for the kitchen, I stopped to talk to Rex and drop a few raisins in his dish.

"I'm going to dinner with your Grandma tonight and I'm taking Ranger, but I'll be okay," I reassured Rex. He knew what Mom could be like.

He twitched his whiskers in what I was going to take as sympathy.

"I'm going to have to tell her we're getting a divorce. I was kind of vague when I talked to her before."

Rex just twitched his whiskers again and grabbed a raisin to nibble. I'm not sure I liked the look he was giving me, and I told him.

"Don't look at me like that. I have to tell her. And I know what you're thinking, so stop. Running away with Ranger to a tropical beach somewhere just wouldn't work out…"

"I could make it work," I heard from behind me, even as I felt a pair of hands encircle my waist.

"Ranger!" I gasped, spinning right into his chest. God this is embarrassing. Getting caught talking to my hamster and about running away with him.

"Yeah, Babe?" he asked, allowing a bit of a wolf grin to shine through the smile he was giving me.

"Umm, hey." I'd try to play it off.

"So a tropical beach?" He wasn't letting it go. "You don't think it would work?"

He'd pulled me close, so now it was his arms around my waist and his eyes had gone all dark and chocolately. I couldn't help myself. Like a moth to a flame, I moved in closer and closer until I brushed my lips across the corner of his mouth.

"No," I said in a whisper, pulling back a half an inch.

"Why?"

"I wouldn't let you leave." It slipped out before I could stop myself, and I spent about a millisecond in terror waiting for his reaction, before the terror was obliterated as his lips crashed down on mine.

All thought left my mind. Nothing existed at that moment but Ranger as I fisted my hands in his shirt, trying to get as close a possible. Somewhere, something was telling me I shouldn't be doing this, but I didn't care. I just wanted the kiss to go on forever.

And then it ended.

Ranger pulled his mouth away, but tightened his hold around my waist, burying his face in my hair. We were both gasping for air, and with my face tucked into his neck, I was taking giant breaths of Bulgari and Ranger scented air.

"Sorry, Babe," Ranger said after a long minute.

"Yeah," I agreed. Not really ready yet for full sentences.

"We should get going."

"The roast will be ruined."

"Yeah." Looks like I wasn't the only one with a shorted out brain.

After another minute, Ranger managed to pull away and get us moving towards the door. He grabbed a pair of keys from the sideboard and still leading me by the hand, navigated us onto the elevator and down to the garage where he nodded to the guys who were following us to dinner. We climbed into the Turbo and were parked in front of my parent's house before either of us attempted further speech.

"Should we talk about what happened back at the apartment?" Ranger started.

"Uh, I'm good," I said, ready to deny my little heart out. "You?"

"I'm good too." Looks like Ranger had singed on to the whole denial thing too… "You ready to do this?"

"Nope, but let's get it over with." With that, I opened my door and climbed out and waited for Ranger to come around the car before heading up the walk.

Lifting my eyes to the screen door, I saw Mom and Grandma standing there waiting.

"Stephanie," Mom said, "and Ranger, right?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Well mannered stud muffin," Grandma said. "So, you went and made an honest woman out of my granddaughter?"

Ranger didn't look like he knew how to respond to that, but he didn't need to because Grandma kept talking without waiting for an answer.

"You two have made a pip of a story, but if you ask me, you should have skipped the wedding and just lived in sin. I wanted to live in sin, but your grandfather insisted on doing things the right way. I should find a stud muffin and try it."

We'd migrated into the kitchen by that point and my father glanced up from where he was carving the roast. "Sounds good to me," he mumbled. Looks like he and Grandma were having one of their spats.

Mom looked like she was about to say something, maybe to me or maybe to Grandma, but I wanted to escape just in case. Grabbing Ranger's hand, I drug him over to say hello to Dad.

"Hey Daddy, you and Grandma okay?"

"She's a crazy old bat." I saw Ranger's lip twitch at that and it's the truth, but I felt the need to defend Grandma. Maybe it's because I was afraid she was a glimpse into my future.

"Be nice. She loves life."

Dad was about to respond when we heard Mom yelling from the kitchen. "Stephanie, come here. I need your help with something."

I looked at Dad with fear in my eyes. We both knew Mom didn't need my help and I silently begged him to save me. "Nothin' I can do, Baby Girl," he said, giving me a one armed hug for support before shoving me in the direction of the kitchen.

"Yeah, Mom?" I asked, entering the kitchen.

"She wants to grill you about your bounty hunter husband," Grandma piped up. "I'm here to ask the interesting questions."

Oh God.

"I want to know right now what your plans are with this marriage."

She had to start with that. "We're not planning on staying married," I said, deciding to bite the bullet and get it over with.

"You can't get another divorce," my mother said, sounding scandalized.

"We can't stay married either," I argued.

"And just why not?"

How do I answer this one? Because Ranger doesn't do relationships? Because he's one of my best friends, but all he's interested in past that is sex? I didn't think those would fly.

"Because we didn't mean to get married."

"That doesn't mean you have to get a divorce. You could learn to love one another."

Loving one another wasn't the problem, I thought sadly. "It's not like that," was all I said to mom.

"Don't tell me he's a dud in the sac," Grandma said, sounding a bit shocked.

That wasn't the problem either. I could feel my face get hot and my eyes get a bit big as I stared at her, unsure how to reply. Luckily, or unluckily, mom picked back up with her questioning.

"Stephanie, what am I supposed to tell people. I've been getting calls for days, wanting to know about your marriage. If you don't plan on staying married, why aren't you working on the divorce and why are you still living with Ranger?"

"I told you, we're having problems with a stalker. We decided not to worry about getting a divorce until we have that taken care of, and I'm living with Ranger because it's safer."

Mom started to speak again, but I cut her off. I couldn't take much more.

"Mom, can you please just accept my decision? I'm sorry I'm not staying married and tuning into a nice, Burg housewife, but that's not what I want or what Ranger wants. Now can we eat? Dad's got to be done carving the roast and it'll dry out."

That catalyzed her back into action. She looked like she wanted to comment, but she couldn't risk serving a dry roast. Instead, she grabbed the vegetables and potatoes from the stove and headed for the kitchen.

I was just about to follow her when Grandma grabbed me by the back of my shirt.

"You never answered my question. Does he know how to use that package or what?"

I knew she'd never drop it, so I just nodded once and made for the dinning room. I heard a jubilant 'I knew it' from behind me, but ignored it as I slipped into my seat.

"Babe?" Ranger asked from the seat beside me.

"You don't want to know." I could have sworn I saw fear on his face.

As Grandma slid into the chair across from us and gave him a wink, I knew I saw fear. So Superman has kryptonite, and Ranger has Grandma Mazur…

Mom sat down and we all started passing dishes and bowls. No one spoke until we were through and then Mom leveled her gaze at Ranger. Shit.

"So, Stephanie tells me you two aren't planning on staying married." This was said in a perfectly conversational tone. You'd never know that five minutes ago, she was protesting the very idea.

"Yes, ma'am." Ranger said, looking directly at her, but with the blank face locked in place.

"Frank, what do you think of that?" she asked, clearly looking for an ally.

"They're adults," Dad said, shrugging and going back to his potatoes.

"Yeah, and then they can live in sin," Grandma said.

I saw Ranger quirk his eyebrow a bit at that. Looks like I'd be answering some more questions later tonight.

Dad actually came to the rescue this time, engaging Ranger in a non-divorce related conversation. "You trust that foreign car you drove over here?" he asked with a nod of his head in the general direction of the front of the house where the Turbo was parked.

"I've never had much trouble with Porsches," Ranger said, with only a slight look my way. I knew he was thinking of the dump truck incident. "But I use Bronco's for work."

"Good man," Dad said, and then they were off on the topic of American versus foreign cars. They should be safe for a while.

"So, where's Val?" I asked Mom, pretending I had no idea since it would be a safe topic.

The rest of dinner went by without a hitch. There were no more marriage related questions, Grandma didn't say or do anything too outrageous and Dad actually spoke. All in all, not a bad dinner at the Plum house.

Mom only brought up the divorce issue one more time, and it was when she had me alone in the kitchen to pack up my leftovers. She actually held them hostage for a few minutes trying to get me to promise to work it out with Ranger. I didn't know how to tell her that there really wasn't anything to work out…

Ranger got the all-clear call from the guys outside, and we were free. Encased in the peace full interior of the Turbo, I finally let out a sigh.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Ranger asked.

"Not as bad as I was expecting, but she managed to corner me twice."

"Poor, Babe," Ranger said, tousling my curls before starting the car.

"Hey! Watch the hair," I protested.

"Why? We're just going home."

"Yeah, but I don't want you to make a habit of it."

Neither of us noticed how easily we'd just thought of the apartment as home…

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

A/N: Thanks so much for reading! Please review, I love getting feedback, so let me know how you feel about where things are going!


	14. Chapter 13

_I don't own them and I'm not making any money…_

_Thank you all so much for reading and all of the wonderful reviews! Also, thank you haleigh.l and harmne for your help editing, I really appreciate it. You ladies are a great help! Please enjoy._

**What Happens in Vegas**

**Chapter 13**

Mom only brought up the divorce issue one more time, and it was when she had me alone in the kitchen to pack up my leftovers. She actually held them hostage for a few minutes trying to get me to promise to work it out with Ranger. I didn't know how to tell her that there really wasn't anything to work out…

Ranger got the all-clear call from the guys outside, and we were free. Encased in the peace full interior of the Turbo, I finally let out a sigh.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Ranger asked.

"Not as bad as I was expecting, but she managed to corner me twice."

"Poor, Babe," Ranger said, tousling my curls before starting the car.

"Hey! Watch the hair," I protested.

"Why? We're just going home."

"Yeah, but I don't want you to make a habit of it."

Neither of us noticed how easily we'd just thought of the apartment as home…

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

When Ranger and I got back to the apartment, I was emotionally drained, so I did the only rational thing. I flopped on the couch with no intention of moving. After a minute or so, Ranger joined me and handed me a beer before taking a long pull from his own.

"Thanks."

"You earned it," Ranger said, pulling me close and tucking me under his arm.

My only response was an indistinct sound of agreement.

We stayed like that, snuggled together and sipping our beers until I drained mine. Leaning forward, I placed the empty bottle on the coffee table and settled myself back against Ranger's chest and tucked my face into his neck.

Breathing in the unique scent of Bulgari and Ranger, I felt myself go all gooey. My hormones were doing a bit of a samba, but I was completely relaxed so I just smiled against Ranger's skin. I knew the calm was from a mixture of the alcohol in my blood stream and relief that the day was done, but I didn't care. It sent me to that very happy place between sober and drunk, where everything is all warm and fuzzy.

"You smell nice," I said, breathing deeply, and then placing my lips against Ranger's neck.

"Thanks, Babe," he replied, chuckling a bit before dropping a kiss into my hair. "So do you."

I pressed my lips a bit more firmly against his neck in answer, before speaking up. "Ella got me new shower gel."

"I should give her a raise."

"You should, 'cause it smells so good with yours. The bathroom doesn't smell all yucky after we're both in there."

"Did it smell yucky before?"

"No," I said, giggling to myself because Ranger said 'yucky.' "It smelled like you. And I smelled like you. Usually that was okay, but sometimes it made my hormones want a jelly doughnut."

"Babe, you're giving information to the enemy again."

"And I think I messed up Lula's jelly doughnut metaphor. But did you get what I meant?"

"Yeah, I got what you meant," Ranger said, chuckling deep in his chest so I could feel the vibrations through me.

"I think my hormones need a jelly doughnut now."

"Babe," Ranger half groaned.

"Hmmm," I hummed against his neck, dragging my lips back and forth, and then placing soft kisses over the bit of skin I could reach. Really his skin was so nice, I just couldn't keep my lips to myself.

"Babe, I think giving you that beer was a bad idea tonight," Ranger said, turning me a little so he still had a hold of my waist, but my lips weren't against his neck.

"Hey," I protested before I registered what he said. "And I'm not drunk. Happy, but not drunk."

He didn't argue, but laughed softly again and settled me back against him. I noticed I was positioned so I couldn't reach his neck, and pouted for a second before deciding I was too comfy to be angry.

Some time later, I felt myself being carried and realized I must have fallen asleep on Ranger.

"I'm awake," I mumbled softly, only to get a squeeze in reply before being settled down on the bed.

I started to drift off again, but then Ranger was slowly peeling my jeans off. My hormones picked up while my body was trying to go back to sleep. It was an odd combination. It resulted in me being awake while I was slipped into one of his t-shirts, but in a hazy, unalert state. And maybe I was a little bit buzzy…

Whatever it was, when Ranger climbed into bed beside me, I rolled so I was settled on top of him and then kissed his bare chest. Scooting up, I rested my lips against his for a minute before lifting my head and looking in his eyes.

"Kiss me?" I asked on a whisper.

I loved him. I'd admitted it and I'd accepted that nothing would come of it. But right now, I wanted to pretend that this was real. If only for a minute.

I saw his mouth open to speak, but I didn't think I could handle a rejection. Instead, I gently placed a finger against his lips and tried again. "Please."

I saw the moment he made his decision and felt my mouth go dry as he lifted his head to catch my lips. The kiss was soft and tender and drug on for long minutes. When we pulled apart, we were both breathing heavily, Ranger's arms were wrapped around me almost painfully and I had my fingers wound tightly through his hair.

"Babe," he said gently when the silence began to stretch.

"I'm sorry," was all I could whisper as I closed my eyes and tucked my head under his chin.

"Don't be." He gave me a slight squeeze and then moved us so he was spooned up against me.

He let his fingers run up and down my arm, causing shivers, but it felt good. It wasn't long before I was deeply asleep again.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Cold. That was my first conscious thought of the morning. My warm cocoon was gone and chilly air was tickling my legs. I'd curled into a protective ball, attempting to go back to sleep, when I felt a warm hand running up and down my arm and over my back. It felt nice.

"Wake up, Babe. It's time to go to the gym," I heard then. Maybe not so nice.

"Sleep," I said, reaching behind myself to grab the hand and tug it towards the bed.

It didn't do any good, but made Ranger laugh and scoop me up. When I was on my feet, he spun me around and pointed me towards the bathroom.

"You have five minutes."

"I could really grow to hate you," I muttered as I stumbled to the bathroom.

Once there, I answered Mother Nature, brushed my teeth and pulled my hair into a pony tail. In the bedroom, I pulled on shorts, sports bra and tank top before heading out into the apartment. I found Ranger in the living room, lounging against a wall, staring intently at his watch. I sent him a glare.

"You made it in just less than five minutes."

I shot him another glare, causing him to laugh and we headed for the gym.

Once there, we went over everything I'd leaned so far and then Ranger taught me some moves he claimed were more effective than the crotch kick. After an hour, I could probably break an attacker's nose with the heel of my hand… I wasn't sure since I didn't actually break any noses in practice. I also learned a kick to take out a knee so I wouldn't be chased. That one, I thought, would be good to know.

When we were through, Ranger had me pick open a pair of cuffs again before we headed up to the apartment.

"So, what are your plans for the day?" Ranger asked in the elevator.

"I was thinking I'd go after some skips," I said, watching him closely for any reaction. I was ready to fight for my right to do as I chose. I stayed in the building for the most part yesterday, but I didn't feel like hiding today.

I saw Ranger giving me a long considering look and was just about to argue when he nodded. "But I'm sending two guys with you."

"Ranger," I protested. "I don't need two guards. And you're bleeding money again."

"Please," he said, causing me to glare at him. He knew I was a sucker for that word. "I can take better care of myself if I'm not worried about you."

That was another low blow. He knew I'd do it if it was for his safety.

"I feel like I'm being manipulated here."

"You are, but it's also the truth."

"That's playing dirty."

"I am a mercenary," he reminded me with a small wolf grin.

Rolling my eyes, I followed him off the elevator and into the apartment. As a peace offering, he asked if I wanted to shower first, but I told him to go ahead. He took five minute showers and I'd feel bad making him wait on me.

While he showered, I said hello to Rex and gave him some of Ranger's cardboard cereal. He loved the stuff. I guess rabbit food worked on hamsters too.

"Babe," I heard shortly after that. "Shower's free."

Heading through the bedroom, I found a towel-clad Ranger and hustled into the bathroom before I did something to embarrass myself. I was just wondering if he did it on purpose, when I realized the bathroom was warm and Bulgari scented again. And my hormones were loving it. They were reminding me of the kisses we'd shared yesterday and the night we'd shared more than kisses.

I took a deep breath and willed myself to calm down. But it didn't work. Not only were my hormones reacting, but I realized I had an emotional reaction to the smell as well. And it scared me because I knew the emotional connection I had to Ranger was getting stronger. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to let go when this was over…

Those thoughts effectively silenced my hormones, but left me feeling sad. I tuned on the shower and stepped under the spray even as I felt my eyes tearing up. I'd never regret loving Ranger, but I didn't ask for it either. When Ranger and I had first realized we were married, I hadn't kept my guard up, and now my heart was more involved than I wanted it to be. The divorce was going to hurt, but it had to happen. Ranger didn't do relationships and there was no way I'd try to change who he was because that was who I loved.

Shaking off those thoughts, I quickly scrubbed down and got out of the shower. I toweled off and splashed cold water on my face before peeking around the door into the bedroom. It wouldn't do for Ranger to see that I had been crying.

I grabbed jeans and a t-shirt to wear and checked out my face in the mirror over the dresser. There was no sign of my tears, and I was very grateful. After that, I flipped my hair upside down, towel dried it and gelled it before heading out to the kitchen.

"Ella just dropped off breakfast," Ranger said, glancing up from his newspaper as I entered.

I sat at the bar and was surprised to find a plate of pancakes on the tray with Ranger's usual breakfast. The surprise must have shown on my face, because Ranger laughed and set his newspaper aside before pacing the plate in front of me.

"I told Ella what a good sport you were being about the self defense lessons and she thought you needed a different reward than doughnuts."

"For breakfast like this, I'd gladly go to the gym," I said, pouring syrup all over my pancakes.

"Babe, you better watch what you say. I might just hold you to that."

"Can I make conditions on what can go on during said gym visit?"

"We'll work that out later," Ranger said, giving me another smile.

As I took the first wonderful bites of my pancakes, I thought about that smile. I'd seen Ranger smile and heard him laugh more often in the past few days than I thought I had in the time I'd known him. Maybe I was just seeing his private side. Or maybe I was entertainment again. I didn't think it was the entertainment choice though, because a lot of the time the smile was affectionate or his wolf grin.

Shrugging it off, I decided I didn't really care why he smiled as long as I got to see it.

Half way though my pancakes, Ranger stood and disappeared into the bedroom. When he reemerged, he was fully armed with his utility belt and his hair was pulled back. He was ready for work.

"I'm heading out, Babe. When you leave, don't forget to stop in the control room for your backup."

"Of course, darling," I said, doing my best Saint Valerie imitation.

"You're such a smartass," he said, stalking over to me. "What am I going to do with you?"

I just looked up and fluttered my eyelashes.

This apparently wasn't the smartest thing to do, because Ranger immediately engulfed me in his arms before lowering his lips to mine. It took a minute for my shock to wear off, but when it did, I fisted my hands in his shirt and kissed back. The kiss was deep and intense and drug on until my lungs were screaming for air.

When Ranger pulled away, my body was molded strategically against his and we were both breathing deeply. But while I'm sure my expression was beyond glazed, he was wearing a smug grin.

"Someday you'll learn not to mess with me," he said, shaking his head and smiling.

I'm going to blame the brain burnout, but that comment combined with the smug look on his face just begged retaliation. Before I'd even thought it through, I darted my leg out like Ranger had taught me this morning and swiped his feet out from underneath him. I only had a moment to gloat though, because before I knew what happened, he'd grabbed my ankle and pulled me down with him.

"Not smart, Babe," he growled with a predatory look on his face.

Seeing that as a challenge, I told smart Stephanie to shut up and rolled so I was pinning Ranger down. Not that it was very effective, because within seconds he had our positions reversed. And he was kissing me again. I think I'd known this would be the outcome when I first tripped him, but either way, I was kissing him back for all I was worth.

One hand had pulled his hair loose and the other had just found its way under his shirt. I played my nails across his abs, causing him to growl and leading me to think he was getting a bit distracted. Trying not to get distracted myself, I began to wiggle enough to get myself back on top when Ranger froze. Seconds later, I realized why. The apartment door was opening and we heard Ella softly humming to herself.

We managed to get ourselves standing again, just as she entered the kitchen.

"Hello, dears," Ella said, giving us a big smile.

I could feel my face flaming, knowing she could tell just what had been going on. Ranger's shirt was crumpled and untucked and his hair was a mess where I'd had my hand buried in it. I didn't even want to think about what I looked like, but my lips felt swollen and I was pretty sure there was a bite mark on my neck. I felt awkward to say the least.

"Uh, thanks for the pancakes," I said to break the silence, as Ella started cleaning up.

"It was nothing dear," she replied still smiling.

"Well, I gotta go finish getting ready." I felt bad about abandoning Ranger, but I wanted to escape.

"And I need to get my other gun," Ranger said as he followed me into the bedroom.

I heard the door shut and was immediately hauled against Ranger's chest. "Babe. My housekeeper nearly caught us - ."

"You started it?" I tried.

He shook his head and released me. "You keep my life interesting," he said as he started straightening his shirt and pulling back his hair.

"So was there another gun?"

"No, and you and Ella both knew it. I just didn't want to stand out there straightening myself up and I didn't want to do it in the hall where the cameras would see."

"Would the boys tease you?" I asked innocently.

"Babe, you're gonna get yourself in trouble again."

"Fine," I said, heading into the vanity area to repair my hair and start my makeup. "Do you know when you'll be back tonight?"

"By six at the latest, why?" Ranger had followed me into the vanity and was leaning against the wall watching me put on my makeup. It was obvious he was killing time before he had to pass back through the Ella inhabited apartment.

"No reason. I'm just making conversation."

"I can take a hint then," he said, stepping forward and dropping a kiss on my temple. "See you tonight."

And he was gone.

I had just finished swiping on mascara when I heard a soft knock at the bedroom door before Ella entered. Stepping out of the vanity area, I found her efficiently stripping the bed and tossing the bedding into a laundry basket.

"Need any help?" I offered. I still wasn't used to someone taking care of things like that.

"No, I'm good," she said before looking up at me. "I don't think I've had a chance to tell you how glad I am that you and Ranger finally got together. He's such a nice young man and you're good for him."

"Um," I started, not really sure how to explain the situation, especially considering what she'd walked in on in the kitchen. "We didn't really mean to get married. And, uh, we're going to end it after we deal with the guy stalking us."

"Well then, I guess I'll just have to take advantage of the time that I have you here," Ella said, quickly masking a disappointed look.

I wasn't really sure what that comment meant or how to continue the conversation, so I grabbed my phone from its charger, told Ella to have a good day and got out of there.

On the ride to the fifth floor, I employed my skills for denial and pretended that none of the scenes with Ella had actually happened. That way, next time I saw her, I could act normally

When the elevator doors slid open, I declared myself good to go and stepped of onto the floor. I made a beeline for the control room and found Bobby and Hal waiting for me. Guess they were my guards for the day.

"So, what are we doing today, Bomber?" Bobby asked as they both stood to join me.

"Going after skips. You two ready to be intimidating?" That was all they'd really have to do. When I had the Merry Men with me, most of my skips came pretty willingly.

They both answered my question with a silent scowl. I'd take that as a yes.

We made our way down to the garage and once we were in the Bronco, Bobby asked where to. Since I didn't have any active files, our first stop was the office.

Not thinking, I hadn't directed the guys to stop for doughnuts first. I was completely unarmed when Lula and Connie started pelting me with questions as I walked through the door. Apparently they'd heard about the 'shoot out' at Pino's yesterday.

"So, do you have any files for me?" was my only response when they finally stopped for air.

"Yep," said Connie, "But you're not getting them until we get some gossip."

"Fine," I gave in, flopping on the chair by her desk. I motioned for the guys to get comfortable on the sofa. This could take a while.

"So, first off, why were you having lunch with Super Cop?" Lula demanded indignantly.

"We were talking. Believe it or not, he's been a big part of my life and I wanted to clear the air."

"So you're not getting' back together?"

"No. But we're working on being friends."

"What's Ranger think of that?" Connie asked.

"Lunch at Pino's was his idea."

"He doesn't want you to get back with Joe does he?" she asked in a shocked voice.

"No," I said laughing. "He just knew how upset I was over how things stood between Joe and me."

"Speaking of Batman," Lula said, "what's going on with you two? Tank says you're staying together 'til the stalker thing's done. That true?"

"Yeah, we're dealing with one thing at a time."

"Hmph. I was hoping you'd convinced him he couldn't live without you."

"Nope. Next question," I said, wanting to get off that particular topic.

"How close are you to getting the stalker situation straightened out?" Connie asked.

"Not very. We know it's one of Ranger's old skips that I did distraction on, but no one seems to know where to find him. He's being pretty low key as far as stalkers go, too. Just enough of a treat to be irritating."

"So for the time being, you and Ranger are staying husband and wife?"

"Yep," I answered and decided it was time to try to put an end to this. "Can I have my files now?"

"What do you think, Lula? Should I give her the files?"

"Sure. She's answered our questions pretty straight. Didn't try to dodge them. And her story seems to match up with what Tank told me."

That caused me to glare at Lula while Connie got my paperwork ready. Tank and I would be having a chat later. Or maybe I'd have Ranger have a chat with him… Tank would probably just laugh at me.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

A/N: Well, I hope you like it! Please review and let me know! I love getting your feed back and hearing how you think the story is going…


	15. Chapter 14

_I don't own them and I'm not making any money… _

_Thank you all so much for all of the wonderful reviews, I really appreciate them. And thank you Harmne and haleigh.l for your help editing, you ladies make a world of difference. Other than that, enjoy the chapter!_

**What Happens in Vegas**

**Chapter 14**

"You guys are wonderful," I told Bobby and Hal after linking my arms through theirs. We were riding the elevator up to the fifth floor and I couldn't stop smiling. Today had been great. We'd gotten all four of my skips, I'd actually helped, and I was still clean. To top it all off, there had been no sign of Harper, the stalker.

"Tell that to Ranger," Hal said. "Maybe he'll give us a raise."

I was laughing at that as we exited the elevator and stepped onto the floor. The guys in the control room looked up and grinned at the sight we made, walking with our arms linked until a hush suddenly descended. Ranger was here.

Automatically looking around, I stretched myself a bit taller trying to locate him. After a moment, I saw him coming from the direction of his office and dropped Bobby and Hal's arms to skip over to him.

"Have a good day, Babe?" he asked smiling.

"Yes. We rounded up all of my skips and I stayed clean." I did a little twirl in front of him to display my cleanliness.

"Well then celebration is in order," he said, stopping my twirl when I was facing him again and dropping a kiss to my curls. "How about we have dinner out tonight?"

"Really?" I asked. I hadn't had a fun evening out since Harper had started targeting me and Ranger.

"Really," Ranger confirmed, causing me to do a little dance.

I looked down at my watch when I was through and saw it was already a quarter of five. "What time?"

"Will 6:30 give you time to get ready?"

Smiling because he knew that's what I was asking, I nodded and impulsively tilted my face up to kiss the corner of his mouth. It wasn't until I was flouncing off towards the elevator that I realized what I had done. I'd just kissed him in the middle of the control room, in front of half the guys. Shit.

By the time I'd made it to the seventh floor, I'd filed the situation in the back of my brain, deciding to deny it for now. I had a date to get ready for. Well, I guess it wasn't really a date, but I could pretend.

In the shower, I mentally reviewed my wardrobe, but couldn't come up with something to wear. The major problem was that I didn't know where we were going. Should I dress for Shorty's or Rossini's? Ranger would consider either restaurant suitable for a celebratory dinner, but they have very different dress codes.

I rinsed the last of the conditioner out of my hair and shut off the shower. I'd just have to call Ranger and ask. Wrapping a towel around my hair and another around my body, I went in search of my phone. I speed dialed Ranger when I found it and listened to it ring twice before he answered with his customary 'Yo.'

"Yo, yourself."

"Miss me already, Babe?" he asked, laughing a little.

"Dreadfully. And I wanted to know where we're going for dinner."

"It's a surprise."

"Will you at least tell me what I should wear?"

"Dress nice, but not formal. Is that good enough?"

"It should be," I answered and hung up, smiling because I'd gotten in the last word.

I tossed my phone back into my purse and glanced at the clock. It was already twenty after five, which meant I only had about an hour to finish getting ready. I really needed to get a move on if I wanted to make it on time.

I hurried back to the vanity area and started the battle with my hair. I gelled it, sprayed it with anti-frizz spray and blow-dried it on low power to give me soft loose curls. When I was done, the overall effect was pretty nice. After playing with it for a bit, I decided to pin most of the hair back, with only a few strands left free to fall around my face.

Staring at the soft, natural looking hairdo, I thought light makeup would go well with it. I put on a light coat of foundation, blush, eye shadow and mascara and decided I was done. It was less makeup than I usually wore, but I was going for a slightly different look tonight.

At the dresser, I pulled out a cream lace bra and panty set and pulled them on. Sexy underwear always made a nice outfit feel that much better. Now I just needed to decide what to wear over. I hadn't come up with anything while I was in the shower, but standing in front of the closet and staring for a while might inspire me.

I was flipping through my clothes for the first time when I came to a little, cream colored cocktail dress. Pulling it out, I stared at it, but had no recollection of buying it. It was in with my clothes and a glance at the tag showed it was my size… Ella must have been doing my shopping again.

I thought about sending the dress, and any other new clothes, back since Ranger couldn't go buying me a new wardrobe, but the fabric was so soft. I was just going to try it on. When I tried it on, I found myself spinning circles in front of the mirror, watching how the skirt fluttered and enjoying the feel of the dress. It felt wonderful on and it looked even better. With a sigh, I realized I was keeping the dress and I was going to wear it.

I heard the apartment door open while I was digging through the closet for a pair of matching FMP's. Finding the pair I was looking for, I stood just as Ranger was entering the bedroom.

And he stopped dead in his tracks. "Babe," he said after staring at me for a moment.

"Ranger," I replied, trying not to smirk. I guess he likes the dress too.

"You look nice."

"Thank you," I said, spinning to give him a better look and hoping to hide my blush at his compliment.

When I stopped spinning, he gave me a soft smile, probably to say he'd caught the blush and disappeared into the bathroom.

I checked the time again and saw we had to leave in about fifteen minutes, so I went looking for a purse. I found one to match my dress and shoes and transferred the necessities to it. There were the usual things like lip gloss, keys and compact, but I also tossed in my pepper spray just to be safe. I'd let Ranger take care of the heavier artillery…

As if my thoughts had summoned him, Ranger came striding out of the bedroom dressed to kill. He was in black slacks, a charcoal shirt and a black jacket. He looked absolutely delicious.

"Thanks, Babe," he said smiling.

"Stop invading my thoughts," I protested to hide my embarrassment over getting caught ogling him.

Ranger laughed at that before gallantly extending his arm. I took it, enjoying the feeling of my bare arm tucked between his body and arm as we left the apartment.

In the elevator, Ranger didn't release my arm and I relaxed against him, taking in the image of us in the mirrored door of the elevator. We looked good. We made a stunning contrast with his dark complexion and dark clothing and my light skin and cream dress. I made the decision then and there to enjoy tonight. To pretend that Ranger and I really had a relationship, that this was real… if only for one night. I would be like Cinderella, but I was keeping the dress since I couldn't have my Prince Charming.

When the elevator doors pinged open, our reflections slid away and I was brought back from my thoughts. Looking out into the garage, I saw an army of black. Well maybe not an army, but four Merry Men take up enough space to look like an army. Confused, I looked up at Ranger.

"Don't want anything messing up your night out," he said simply.

I felt touched that he would go to so much trouble that I didn't protest the extra guards. I wanted to enjoy tonight and if this was what it took, so be it. Besides, I'd admitted awhile ago that I wanted a relationship with Ranger and I wasn't delusional enough to think that it would come without the occasional body guard. That was just something I'd have to understand.

Ranger gave me a smile for my easy acceptance and squeezed my arm before releasing it and helping me into the Turbo.

When we pulled out of the garage, we had a Bronco in front of us and one behind us. I thought it was overkill, but I also wanted Ranger to relax tonight. So, if overkill was what it took, then I'd go along with it.

We'd been driving for twenty minutes and were traveling along the highway when I began bugging Ranger about where we were going. And he still wouldn't tell me. He wouldn't give me any hints or even tell me how long it would take to get there. Huffing a bit, I told him to keep his secret, I didn't care and started staring out the window. I don't think he believed me.

Eventually, we took a Newark exit and I turned to look at Ranger.

"You seemed to enjoy the dinner my mom made the other night, so I thought we'd go out for Cuban. One of my favorite restaurants is here, and I think you'll like it."

"Oh." I wasn't sure what else to respond with. I'd assumed we would go to Rossini's, but the trip out of Trenton had nixed that idea. Ranger had obviously put some thought into dinner and it gave me a warm feeling in my belly that I decided not to think about.

Instead, I thought about the dress. I wasn't sure how I felt about Ranger, via Ella, buying clothes for me. If the dress wasn't wonderful, I might be mad. Probably I should say something.

"Thanks for the dress."

"Babe?" Ranger asked, sounding confused.

"I didn't buy this dress. I'm pretty sure Ella did."

Ranger let out a laugh at that and I turned to glare at him. I didn't see anything funny. "I told Ella to pick up anything you might need while staying at the apartment. I was thinking peanut butter, white bread, some movies… Ella was thinking clothes."

"I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with you buying me clothes," I said, getting the conversation back on topic.

"Ella bought them."

"With your money."

"I don't mind," he said, reaching out and grabbing one of the hands I was twisting nervously in my lap. "Actually, I think I like spoiling my wife. Maybe I'll buy you a car."

"Ranger," I said, trying for outraged, but messing it up with a laugh. I'm pretty sure he was teasing me, at least I hope so.

Our conversation was ended shortly after that by Ranger announcing we were at the restaurant. He was pulling into a half full parking lot in front of a small building. As we approached it, I could hear salsa music and smell the food. I'm pretty sure my walk sped up since Ranger started chuckling beside me.

As soon as we entered, we were shown to a back booth. Ranger of course immediately moved so he could sit with his back to the wall, but he surprised me when he pulled me down beside him before I could sit on the opposite side. When I shot him a questioning look, he just gave me a low wattage smile and draped an arm over my shoulders. Since I was comfy and wrapped up in Ranger, I wasn't going to complain.

Not long after that, a waitress showed up with menus and took our drink orders. When she walked away, I flipped open the menu but quickly discovered a problem: it was all in Spanish. I brought this to Ranger's attention, and he told me he'd order for both of us. I was still debating whether or not to be concerned when the waitress came back with our drinks and asked if we were ready to order.

Ranger said we were and then proceeded to order in Spanish. And my insides turned to mush. He should not be allowed to talk like that, or he should at least warn me before he does.

When the waitress left us alone again, Ranger turned to me and said something else in Spanish. He must have noticed my reaction while he ordered.

"Stop it," I said, swatting his arm.

"I thought you liked it."

"That's the problem," I muttered, before taking a sip of my drink to stop myself from saying anything else.

Ranger just laughed and wrapped an arm around my back. His touch and the smell of Bulgari were distracting me, so within minutes, I broke my self imposed vow of silence.

"So you come here often?" I doubted he'd answer my question, but I had to say something.

"Yeah, my uncle owns the place."

"Oh," I said, slightly stunned at getting a real answer. I still wasn't back to normal when he spoke again.

"If you promise not to go into shock I'll tell you more."

"I promise," I replied, wide eyed as I gave the 'scouts honor' sign.

"Okay, well see that kid over there bussing tables?" he asked, tipping his head to the left.

Turning my head, I saw a skinny Latino boy, who looked to be about thirteen. I nodded my head in confirmation even though I didn't know why I was looking at the kid.

"That's my cousin Carmen's son, Dom. He's pretty much what I looked like when I was thirteen and worked here bussing tables until the auto-theft incident."

"You were a bus boy?" I asked in shock. I couldn't really see it.

"Yep. Wore the white button-down shirt and everything."

And that made me think of something I'd always wondered about. "Will you tell me why you wear black so much?"

"Not much to tell, Babe. I got out of the Rangers and worked for a security company. Their uniform was black on black. As I got a reputation, I became known for wearing black like I am now. And I like it."

That got a laugh out of me.

Before I could ask another question, the waitress returned with our food. She sat the plates in front of us and I saw Ranger had ordered us the same thing. It smelled wonderful and I would say that it was chicken, but past that I wouldn't venture a guess. I lifted my eyes to Ranger's for more info.

"It's pollo agridulce, or sweet and spicy chicken, Babe. It's made with mango, ginger, red pepper, sugar, butter and oil. You'll love it."

"And you're going to eat it?" I asked. From what he said, it sounded as good as it smelled, but it didn't sound like temple food.

"Yeah. We're celebrating, so tonight's not a temple night."

"Well, thanks for not ordering us Cuban salad," I said, before saluting him with my fork and taking the first bite. It was wonderful.

We ate in silence. Or mostly silence… I may have let out a moan or two. I could seriously get into this whole Cuban food thing because what I'd had so far, I'd loved.

When I'd taken the last bite of my dinner, Ranger shocked me further by ordering dessert. He spoke rapid Spanish with the waitress again, so I had no idea what he'd ordered. I was a little nervous since dinner had been so obviously unhealthy that he may have some secret healthy dessert to feed me.

"Don't worry. You'll love what I ordered," he ESPed.

"How do you do that?" I demanded. It was a bit frustrating that he could always tell what I was thinking and I never had any idea what was going on inside his head.

"It's one of those 'if I told you, I'd have to kill you' things," he said with a completely serious look on his face.

I just rolled my eyes in response. "Fine. Keep your secret. But tell me something else instead."

"Like what?"

"Just something. Like earlier, when you were telling me about being a busboy."

"Babe, I'm no good at this divulging information thing. You're going to have to be more specific."

"Okay. Will you tell me how you started Rangeman?"

"I could do that," he said with a half grin.

It grew into a whole grin, when I made a quick 'go on' motion.

"Well, I got out of the Rangers was and worked in security for a while, but I got a bit bored. I decided bounty hunting looked fun, but back then I was after high profile offenders wanted by the government. I made some money and my brother, Tonio, who's an investment banker, told me to invest. He said starting my own company would be a good idea. I didn't have quite enough money, so I called up some buddies, asked if they wanted to invest and suddenly I had partners and a company. That was four years ago."

"I give that a six out of ten," I said when he stopped.

"Babe?"

"There were facts and you brought in stuff about family and investors, but it was short. You could have told me how Tonio persuaded you to invest or how you decided on a security company…"

I kept teasing for about another minute until I was interrupted by the arrival of dessert. The waitress placed two plates, each with a small, yellow cone-shaped cake and two cups of coffee on the table. They looked delicious, but first I turned to Ranger to find out what it was.

"They're capuchinos, a Cuban pastry. They're not easy to make, but luckily, my aunt enjoys making them. And they're one of the few desserts I eat. Try it."

And I did. I cut off the very tip of the cone and put it in my mouth. I hadn't even swallowed when I decided I had a new favorite pastry.

Ranger must have been doing the ESP thing again, because he smiled before taking a bite of his cake and sipping his coffee.

Some time later, Ranger paid the bill and once again offered me his arm to walk out of the restaurant. It had been a wonderful evening and I felt like I was walking on a cloud until I spotted the Merry Men waiting for us by the door. That brought me back to reality, but I decided not to let it get to me and allowed myself to be escorted to the car.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

I was being carried and the smell of Bulgari assaulting my senses told me who was doing the carrying. Reluctantly, I opened my eyes to realize we were in the foyer of the seventh floor and Ranger was opening the door to the apartment.

"I can walk," I mumbled trying to look up at Ranger. 

"Yeah, but I realized I've been a bad husband, so I'm not going to let you."

I must have looked as confused as I felt at that, because Ranger squeezed me a bit tighter and carried me into the apartment.

"I realized I hadn't carried you across any thresholds since we've been married. So I needed to fix that."

"A true romantic," I teased, snuggling a bit deeper into his chest and enjoying the ride.

He carried me though the apartment, into our bedroom and my heart began to speed up. I closed my eyes, trying to calm myself, not wanting him to feel my racing pulse. My eyes snapped open, however, when I felt myself being gently stood on my feet.

"You really do look beautiful tonight," Ranger said, using one hand to hold me close to himself and twisting a finger of the other hand in one of my loose curls.

I opened my mouth to speak, but no sound would come out. Even if I could have formed words, I wouldn't have known what to say. Instead, I leaned into him and kissed his neck, exposed by his loosened tie and open collar. And to my amazement, I felt his pulse pick up under my lips. I began to nibble and felt his arms come around me, holding me to him.

And then his phone went off.

He spoke a handful of words into the phone, while still holding me with the other arm. Snuggled against his chest as I was, I could hear the voice on the other end, but couldn't make out the words. From the tone, however, I knew it was one of the guys. I waited until Ranger had snapped his phone shut to lift my eyes to his in question.

"Sorry Babe, but some guys on stakeout just spotted a skip. Looks like I've got a takedown tonight."

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

A/N: Well, I hope you like it. I'll be at the beach with no internet for the next week, so leave me some reviews for when I get back! The next chapter's also close to done, and I'll try to get it posted as soon as possible when I get home…


	16. Chapter 15

_I still don't own them and I'm not making any money…_

_Thanks so much to everyone for reading and for all of the wonderful reviews. I love getting your feedback and seeing your thoughts on the story! And also, another bit thanks to Harmne and Haleigh.o for their help editing… You ladies are great! Other than that, please enjoy!_

**What Happens in Vegas**

**Chapter 15**

Once I'd gotten my head to stop spinning from the sudden mood change, I managed to ask, "Who?"

"Sal Mancini."

I felt all the blood drain from my face at the sound of the name. Mancini was bad news. He was one of the higher-ups in Harry the Hammer's organization, and Harry is Vinnie's father-in-law. Connie had told me when Vinnie bonded Sal out, but I hadn't realized he'd skipped.

If he was FTA, there must be a reason. Harry usually made sure his guys made it to court appointments to avoid bringing attention to his organization. And if there was a reason, Harry probably wasn't ready for Mancini to go to jail. That meant there were more than likely guards and other thugs involved.

"Babe? You okay?" Ranger asked, holding me at arms length and studying my face.

"Yeah," I mumbled.

But I wasn't so sure about that. Even while he held me, running his hands up and down my arms, all I could see were images of him, lying on my apartment floor, bleeding.

"You're sure?"

"Yeah," I repeated, pulling away and shoving him in the direction of the bedroom.

He seemed to accept my answer and went to change. I wandered around the apartment, still slightly dazed, trying to convince myself that I was all right. Ranger had done other, equally dangerous, takedowns since the Scrog incident, and I hadn't reacted like this. I had no right to react like this. Nothing had changed.

Except that now he was mine.

I shook my head at that thought, unsure where it had come from. He wasn't mine. Not really. And even if he was, this was another thing I'd have to learn to live with.

I shook my head again, trying to discard the thought, and walked over to Rex's cage. Not for a one-on-one, since I wasn't even sure what was going on in my head, but for some hamster therapy. While I watched his little paws running on his wheel, I was able to work up enough denial that I thought I could see Ranger out the door without causing him to ask me if I was all right.

I reached that point just in time, because no sooner had I thought it than I felt a strong pair of arms go around my waist and a pair of lips settle against my neck. I unconsciously leaned back into him as a fuzzy feeling spread down through my gut. I had a sneaking suspicion that my worry was somehow related to that fuzzy feeling and tried to stop it.

"You better stop that or you're not going to make it to your takedown," I joked to Ranger as he nibbled up and down my neck.

"Okay," he said, turning me in his arms. "But do I get a kiss for good luck before I go?"

I managed to nod before his mouth came down to cover mine. And it was one good kiss. The fuzzy feeling that I'd been trying to banish moments before took over completely as I fisted one hand in Ranger's shirt and threaded the other into his hair, below his pony tail. Within minutes, I was completely limp, plastered against Ranger and held up by the arm he had wrapped around my waist. His other hand began pushing down the straps of my dress I was still wearing from dinner. He'd just succeeded with both straps when I felt a vibration against my hip.

I sort of enjoyed it, until I realized it was his phone as he reached between us to stop it.

Thinking he was going to continue the kiss, I was surprised when he pulled me against his chest and settled his head on top of mine. I followed his lead and rested my head against his shoulder, reveling in the feeling of his uneven breathing.

"Be careful," I finally whispered.

"I always am."

"I know, but I had to say it. I – care for you." I'd almost said 'I love you,' and was thanking God that for once I'd had control over my mouth when I felt Ranger take a breath to speak.

Before he could say anything, though, I felt his cell go off again and he flipped it open using that same the breath to answer. The only other thing he said was that he'd be down soon before flipping the phone shut.

"They're threatening to leave without me," he said, pulling away slightly and pushing the straps of my dress back into place with a slightly disappointed look.

"Then you'd better go."

I took another step away, but he pulled me in for a fast kiss before disappearing through the door. He was gone before I'd even realized he was leaving.

Stumbling into the bedroom, I flopped onto the bed, still in my dress and heels from dinner. It felt like forever ago that Ranger and I were celebrating my good day skip-hunting while he ordered me Cuban food in Spanish. In reality, it had been about an hour.

I lay on the bed, trying to make sense of my thoughts but they were too scattered and going too fast for me to comprehend. After a while, I finally focused in on one that kept repeating itself.

_I'd almost told Ranger that I love him._

I'd promised myself that I would keep that piece of information to myself and not put Ranger in the situation of rejecting my love. I told myself it was because I didn't want him to have to deal with worrying about my feeling for him, but I was lying. It was really because I didn't think I could handle him rejecting me again. Last time, my heart wasn't all the way involved, but now I'd admitted to myself that I was head over toes in love with the man. And that was not information I had any desire to share.

But apparently part of me did.

Lying on his bed, in my thinking position, I wondered what had almost made me blurt it out. It could have been the kiss, or the fact that I was worrying about him. I wasn't sure, but I decided to be on guard in case it decided to try to slip out again.

That settled, my thoughts started whirling again until I had enough and scolded them into silence to be shoved them into the land of denial.

To keep them from resurfacing, I headed for the bathroom to shower, stepping out of my shoes and stripping my dress along the way. In the bathroom, I turned on the tap while pulling pins from my hair and discarding them on the vanity. When my hair was free, I checked the water temperature before stripping the rest of the way and stepping into the shower.

I washed my hair, removing all of the gunk from it, and then instinctively reached for the bottle of Bulgari before deciding to use my own gel. My hormones were sill buzzing from Ranger's good luck kiss, and the last thing I needed was to add his shower gel to the mix.

And there I went, thinking about the kiss I wasn't supposed to be thinking about. Even without his shower gel, my body hummed at the memory and the memory of the kiss this morning after breakfast. Both had felt like they were going somewhere… and then we'd been interrupted. I wasn't sure how I felt about the interruptions, but knew I wasn't happy about the confusion.

Ranger had been letting things go further than normal lately. Since we'd been married, there'd been a few soft, sweet kisses but the ones today felt different. I was just thankful that Ranger wasn't actively applying pressure at the moment, because I'd never survive that. And at this point, I was afraid I'd follow his lead as far as he'd let things go between us.

With that cheerful thought in my head, I shut off the water and climbed out of the shower, wrapping one of the large fluffy towels around myself before padding into the dressing area. I ran my fingers up and down the stack of Ranger's t-shirts until I found one that had been worn soft, and I pulled it out. Dropping the towel, I dug a pair of panties from the dresser, pulled them on and turned to deal with my hair. I ran a glob of gel through it to prevent scary morning-hair and I was ready for bed.

I tucked myself into my side of the bed and curled into a ball to sleep. It was early, but the early morning workouts with Ranger were catching up with me. After ten minutes, I still couldn't sleep. I flopped flat on my back and stared at the ceiling, waiting for sleep when the tendrils of worry that I'd felt earlier began to return. Ranger hadn't been gone long and I shouldn't even expect him back yet, but I still felt myself straining to hear him come through the front door.

Squirming over to his side of the bed, I rested my head on his pillow and breathed deeply, hoping that would help, but it didn't. Instead, it brought back the earlier images of him bleeding in my apartment and I felt myself sob before sitting bolt upright.

I would not lay here crying. This worry was one of the reasons Ranger didn't do relationships. I wouldn't try to convince him to have a relationship if he didn't want to, but I sure as Hell wasn't going to support his reasons against one.

Instead, I pulled the blanket from the bed and carried it with me into the living room to settl on the couch. Grabbing the remote, I flicked through the channels until I found a movie that looked like it could be interesting.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Babe?" I heard from far away as I registered a hand tangling itself in my hair.

"Hmmm?"

"Was this where you wanted to sleep?"

Huh? I'd wanted to sleep but I couldn't. "No."

"Good. You want me to take you to bed?"

"Mmmm," I said, with a little smile, feeling warm all through at the idea of Ranger taking me to bed.

He scooped me up off the couch, blanket and all, and I snuggled into his chest as he carried me. I was nearly asleep again when I felt myself being deposited on the bed.

"I was afraid you'd gone back to sleeping on the couch," Ranger said, leaning over me and rearranging the blanket.

"Why?" I asked in a sleepy haze. I wasn't sure if I was asking 'why he thought that' or 'why he was afraid of that.'

"You're in the right place now, so I'm going to go take a shower and I'll be to bed shortly," he said, ignoring my question

"Mkay," I said, smiling as he brushed a kiss across my forehead and disappeared into the bathroom.

Moments later, I heard the shower start up and with the sound reminding me that Ranger was home, I drifted back to sleep.

When I woke again, I was warm and cozy, wrapped up in Ranger. I could feel the even rise and fall of his chest beneath me, telling me he was still asleep, so I did a quick check to see what had made me wake up before him. I was very comfortable and I didn't have to pee, so I carefully cracked one eye and snapped it shut again when I realized the room was full of light.

Carefully this time, I opened my eyes again and moved so I could see Ranger's alarm clock. It said it was 8:23, but I couldn't believe it. Ranger never slept that late. I was just trying to see his face, to double check that he was really sleeping when his arms tightened around me.

"Are you going to hold still so I can sleep?"

"Sorry," I whispered automatically before sitting up a little. "Why are you still sleeping?"

"Didn't get back until about quarter of four, Babe."

"Oh," I said, snuggling my head into his shoulder, ready to go back to sleep.

Then the alarm went off and I heard Ranger chuckling because I jumped at the sound.

"You don't even know how to sleep in right," I grumbled, as I moved so he could turn the blaring alarm off.

"Not in my nature, Babe," he said, dropping a kiss on my head and disappearing into the bathroom.

By the time I'd gotten myself sitting up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes, he was done in the bathroom so I took my turn. I quickly took care of necessities and joined Ranger in the kitchen.

And he was making smoothies.

He must have heard my groan of disgust, because he shut off the blender and turned to look at me. "Will you at least try it?"

"I tired one of you're smoothies before. They're yucky."

"I might have tried to start you off too healthy on the smoothie thing. This one's strawberry-banana, like you could get at the mall."

I gave that an incredulous look.

"Okay, almost. It has fat-free yogurt and honey to sweeten it." And then he picked up my hand and put the glass in it. "Try it."

I reluctantly took a sip, and then tried my hardest to hide that I liked it.

"Babe?"

"Fine. I like it. But don't try to get progressively healthy on me."

"Deal," Ranger said, holding out his hand to shake.

I took his hand, while taking another sip of my smoothie, so when Ranger tugged me towards himself, I got smoothie all over my chin. But he kissed me clean.

"That may be the best smoothie I ever made," he said, pulling back and giving me a wolf grin.

Stupid Stephanie told me to kiss that grin off of his face. Smart Stephanie reminded me that my resistance to him was crumbling by the day. And for once I listened to Smart Stephanie.

"Don't think you can get me to drink a healthy smoothies like that," I said teasingly as I pulled away. "I can see right through you."

And with that, I carried my smoothie into the bedroom to get dressed, adding a little swing to my hips as I listened to Ranger laughing.

He came in to finish getting dressed while I was putting on the finishing touches of my makeup, so we were ready to go at the same time.

"What are you up to today?" he asked, as we headed out of the apartment.

"I'm gonna stop by the office and see if Connie has any skips for me. Then maybe go after them."

"Just don't forget your guards."

I mentally rolled my eyes at that before replying. "As long as you don't forget yours."

"I remember the deal, Babe," Ranger said, pulling me against himself.

I squirmed, trying to get free, which made Ranger hold me more tightly. And start tickling me. His fingers danced across my ribs, making me giggle and try harder to free myself. I was just trying to tickle back when we heard the elevator doors open with a ping.

"Oh," we heard a surprised voice say, causing us to pause and look up.

We were once again caught by Ella. And she was looking at us with the biggest smile as she stepped out of the way so we could get off the elevator.

"Uh, hi Ella," I said.

"Hello, Dear. Will you two be having dinner in the apartment tonight?"

Ranger answered in the affirmative and her smile only grew.

"Any special requests?"

"Dessert," I said before Ranger could speak up.

"Wonderful," Ella said, still smiling as she got on the elevator and was gone.

"She didn't wait for my answer," Ranger said in mock complaint.

"You're not as fun to cook for," I said over my shoulder as I skipped off towards the control room.

By the time he caught up with me, I'd made it to the control room and met up with Woody and Ram, my guards for the day. I was just trying to get them moving when Ranger walked in, causing them to jump out of their seats. And me to glare at them.

"You all ready to go, Babe?"

"Yep," I said, still glaring at the guys.

"You have your gun?"

I held my purse out and he lifted it, smiling when he felt the weight of the gun. "And it's loaded," I said.

"Okay. Be safe and I'll see you tonight."

"You too," I said before heading for the elevator, knowing the guys would follow. They were officially on guard duty now and loosing me was a bad, bad thing.

"So," said Woody as we climbed into a Bronco, "what are we up to today?"

"We're going to pick up doughnuts then go to the office and see if Connie has any files for me."

"Ma'am, yes ma'am," Ram said, pulling the truck out of the garage and heading for the Tasty Pastry.

I rolled my eyes and made him pay for the doughnuts, then told the guys that, yes, we did have to go to the office.

"Hey, girl! You bring breakfast?" Lula asked as soon as the guys and I walked in.

"Yep," I said, enjoying the peace and quiet while she and Connie ate.

It wasn't long, though, before the doughnuts were gone and they were fixing their eyes on me. You'd never guess that they'd gotten in an inquisition the day before.

"Any files?" I asked Connie, hoping to stop the questions before they began.

"Nope. No one skipped last night."

"But nice try," Lula said. "Anything new with you and Batman?"

"Didn't we do this yesterday?" I tried.

"Yeah. But you two could have gone all lovey since then."

"Lovey? Ranger?" Woody asked in an incredulous voice from his position by the door.

"Okay, maybe not lovey," Lula said, "but are you two any closer to getting it on?"

"There is nothing going on. We're just living together until it's safe for me to move back to my apartment. Then we're getting a divorce and things are going back to normal."

"Right," Ram said, causing me to shoot him a death glare.

"You know something?" Connie asked, perking up.

"Just if nothing's going on, what was that in the elevator this morning?" Ram asked me as both he and Woody came and joined me on the couch.

I had to think for a moment about which of the 'nothing's' had happened in the elevator. And then I remembered Ranger had been tickling me. "That wasn't anything."

"Why don't you tell us what happened and we'll be the judge of that," Connie said.

"Ranger was holding her and then tickling her, and she was squirming and giggling. They made quite a cute picture on the screen."

"We're friends," I said before either Connie or Lula could say anything about that.

"So, if I ask Tank, he'll say Ranger tickles him like that?" Lula asked.

"Lula," I said, exasperated.

They went on like that, for another hour. I'd think Lula and Connie were satisfied with my answers and then Ram or Woody would say something to set them going again. Apparently, Ranger and I forgot about the cameras more often than we had thought.

When I finally had both of the guys standing and thought we were going to escape, Connie's phone rang. Before we could get out of the office, she waved frantically, signaling me to stop.

"It's your mom," she mouthed.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

A/N: Thanks again for reading! Please leave a review and tell me what you thought :) I love hearing from you!


	17. Chapter 16

**What Happens in Vegas **

**Chapter 16**

_I don't own then and I'm not making any money… Thank you all for reading and for all of the wonderful reviews, and thanks Haleigh for your help editing, I really appreciate everything!_

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_When I finally had both of the guys standing and thought we were going to escape, Connie's phone rang. Before we could get out of the office, she waved frantically, signaling me to stop._

"_It's your mom," she mouthed._

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Hello?" I asked into the phone Connie had handed to me.

"Stephanie, why do you have a cellular phone if you're never going to answer it? Thank God, Mary De Luca called to tell me she saw you going into the bonds office with two of those big men dressed in black."

"Sorry Mom," I said, pulling my cell out of my purse and finding it dead. "I forgot to charge my phone. Why were you trying to get a hold of me?"

"A nice young man dropped off a letter and asked me to get it to you. You could come for lunch and pick it up."

"What's it look like?"

"Just a white envelope with 'Stephanie' written on it," Mom said, before gasping. "You don't think it could be from your stalker do you?"

"I don't know, but I'll try to get to the house as soon as I can."

"Well that's just fine. I'll have some nice cold cuts for you."

"All right, Mom," I said, sensing that she was going into her own state of denial.

As soon as I hung up with her I swung my eyes to the guys. They must have picked up on something during the conversation, because they were both on alert, back in guard mode.

"A man gave my mom a letter for me. My cell's dead, can I use one of yours to call Ranger?"

Ram handed his over, saying only that Ranger was three on speed dial.

"Yo," I heard moments later, instantly feeling relief.

"Yo, yourself."

"Babe?"

"Yeah. My cell's dead. My mom called the office saying a man dropped a letter off for me. It might have been Harper. I thought I'd check if you wanted the guys and me to wait for you to go get it."

"Wait. I'll be to the office in ten." And he hung up.

After staring at the phone for a moment, I handed it back to Ram. "He wants us to wait, and then we'll go get the letter."

Both guys nodded in response to this order from Ranger as if he'd been standing in front of them. And then sat themselves on either side of me, not wanting to get too far away.

"What's up, girl?" Lula asked after a few minutes silence.

"We may finally be making some progress with Harper," I said, feeling a bit conflicted about that.

I wanted to make progress with the stalker situation, but at the same time I didn't. He wasn't really doing any harm. He'd taken a few shots, but he hadn't been aiming to kill. He was just being irritating. And as long as he was out there, Ranger and I got to keep playing house.

Lula seemed to pick up that I was getting lost in thought, because she didn't ask anything else. I didn't snap out of it until Ranger walked in and was standing in front of me. Looking up, I saw that Tank and Bobby were both in the room now too, and couldn't help smiling because Ranger had brought his guards.

"Ram, Woody," Ranger said, "Go to the Plum house and check that everything is secure. When you're done, call and we'll follow."

They had gotten up as soon as Ranger had come over and were out the door with identical nods. He took their place on the couch while Tank and Bobby stood at either end. I rolled my eyes.

"Is this really necessary?"

"It might be, or the letter might be nothing," Ranger said quietly, wrapping an arm around me and gently kneading my shoulders and neck. "It won't take the guys long and then we'll go see what's up."

I simply nodded and began to rest my head against his shoulder before remembering Connie and Lula were in the room and probably watching us closely. Instead, I pretended that there really was 'nothing' new between us and gave an overdramatic sigh.

"Fine, I'll be patient."

"Good." And then he leaned over and gave me a little kiss, just below the ear.

When I looked up, Connie was staring at us and Lula was giving me a look that said I was getting interrogated as soon as she could get me alone. Tank caught her look and the biggest shit-eating grin I'd ever seen spread across his face until Lula turned her look on him. Guess she didn't feel like he'd been keeping her up on the gossip.

With all of this going on in the tiny front office, I was glad for the distraction Ranger's phone offered when it started to ring. I was even gladder when I found out it was the guys and all was clear at my parents' house.

We made our escape quickly and I was even able to avoid promising the girls that I'd be back the next day. But as soon as we were in the truck, Bobby burst out laughing.

"Oh man, Boss, when you kissed Bomber, I thought Lula's eyes were going to pop out of her head and Connie was going to pass right out. And then that glare Lula was giving you, Tank. I don't think I've ever seen you look that scared."

Both guys ignored him so I decided to do the same, even though his chuckling made me want to try the nose breaking move Ranger had taught me.

Bobby was still laughing slightly when we pulled up in front of my parents house, but as soon as Ranger killed the engine, he snapped right back into work mode. He and Tank got out of the truck, scanned the area and then opened doors for Ranger and me to get out. They led us up to the house, and I was surprised that Mom and Grandma Mazur weren't waiting for us at the door, but soon saw why. The house was in an uproar.

It was obvious Mom had been tippling, since she was sitting in a kitchen chair, scolding everyone. Grandma was watching everything, commenting and generally being herself. And to add to that, Val's girls were there since they didn't have school today. Mary Alice was galloping, Angie was scolding her and baby Lisa was screaming.

And they guys were sitting in the living room with my dad, taking it all in.

"Mom?" I finally asked, cautiously.

"Oh, Stephanie. You're finally here," she said, so calmly that I could tell she had done more than her usual tippling.

"Yeah. Where's the letter you had for me?"

"I gave it to the large men that came to check the house. They're sitting in with your father."

"Okay, thanks," I said, bending over and grabbing the whisky bottle I spotted under her chair before heading in to talk to the guys.

Grandma, who'd started harassing Tank and Bobby when we arrived, spotted me taking it, and shook her head. "She's got another in the pantry. Taking it won't do any good."

I put it back in the pantry any way, hoping Mom would give it a rest for a while. I didn't have much hope, though, since she was having a hard day. She had to deal with the Hellions and Grandma, possibly assisted my stalker, and then had her home invaded by ex-army men. I bet Betty Pachinski down the street never had days like this.

In the living room, I greeted my dad with a kiss to the cheek before turning to the guys. "So?"

"The envelope seems to be secure," Ram said, holding it out and flicking his eyes between Ranger and me.

I reached out to take it, but Ranger beat me to it, earning him a dirty look.

"I believe the envelope has my name on it," I said.

"It does." Ranger answered me even as he was examining the envelope and breaking the seal.

When he was satisfied that it wouldn't explode and didn't look like it was going to harm me in any way, he handed it to me. I snatched it, giving him another little glare, before pulling out the sheet of paper inside.

_Stephaine,_

_I've finally made up my mind what to do about you. I want you. I saw you having lunch with the cop the other day and did some checking. It wasn't hard to find out he's your ex. There must be something about you to interest men like him and Manoso. And I need to know what it is. I will have you. But first there's that pesky little issue of your husband. I'll deal with him and then come for you._

_Blake_

I held the paper out to Ranger and dropped back onto the couch as soon as he'd taken it. The letter was a bit of a shock. I'd expected a threat, that wouldn't be anything new, but this was a threat to Ranger. Because of me.

"Babe, we need to get back to Rangeman," Ranger said, interrupting my thoughts.

"Huh?" Coming back to reality, I saw Ranger crouching in front of me, Woody, Ram and Bobby standing at attention and Tank doing his best to assure my family everything was all right.

Nodding to Ranger, I stood to help Tank. He really wasn't any match for my family.

I told my dad that the guys would take care of me and he seemed to accept that. So did Grandma, but she had a gleam in he eye that I didn't like and disappeared to her room. Thankfully, I was able to convince Mom that she hadn't done any harm and that I'd be all right, and we escaped before Grandma got back with a care package.

Safe in the vehicles, our little caravan headed back to Rangeman. The only sound in our Bronco was Ranger talking into his cell phone, apparently arranging a meeting to take place as soon as we got back.

"Another meeting?" I asked as soon as he snapped the phone shut.

I really liked being involved, but if I was honest, the meetings really weren't my thing.

"Yeah. But you don't really have to be there if you don't want. You can go on up to the apartment and I'll fill you in on what we decide later."

"No, I'll come to the meeting." I felt like I was being manipulated again, since Ranger knew just what to say to get me there. He knew I couldn't resist being in on everything and hated people making decisions for me.

So, as soon as we made it to the building, we were heading to the conference room where half of Rangeman was assembled. I thought it was a bit much, but decided to keep that thought to myself for the time being.

I'd barely made it into my seat when Tank opened the meeting. "Bomber received another threat from Harper via her family earlier today," he said, taking the note from Ranger and placing it on the overhead projection thingy.

When everyone had had a chance to read the note, Ranger spoke up.

"I want efforts to find Harper doubled. We shouldn't be having this much trouble. Finding people is what we do. The man who gave Mrs. Plum the letter didn't match Harper's description, but a surveillance team should still be set up outside the Plum house. And security on Steph will be increase-"

"Excuse me?" I cut him off there.

"You'll be limited to the building and given a heavier guard when you do go out," he said, with the intention of going back to what he was saying.

I had other plans.

"I don't think so. I already have two guards when I go out and the actual threat is at you for the time being."

"Babe."

It was pretty clear Ranger didn't like me challenging his authority or interrupting his meeting. Well tough.

"Don't 'Babe' me. If I'm restricted to the building and have an increased guard so do you."

"I can't very well be looking for Harper with a bunch of guys following me around," Ranger said.

That just made me even madder. "So you want to go out searching for _our_ stalker, who right now wants to hurt _you_, while I stay here?"

I was getting pretty loud, and gave a momentary thought to the fact that the room was full of Rangemen, but I didn't care. I was pissed and Ranger was going to know it.

He was about to reply to me, when Lester cut him off. "You know Boss, she's got a point."

Ranger turned to glare at him, and I saw Lester actually flinch but I was glad for the support.

"Go on," Ranger said calmly and I saw Lester relax some.

"Well, the actual threat was directed at you. Maybe you should both try to stay in the building. It doesn't sound like Harper's planning on making a move on Bomber until you're out of the way. It would be the surest way to keep her safe."

"Fine. Steph and I will stay in and I'm on call for emergencies only," Ranger said, agreeing to that logic. "But I want Harper found."

I still wasn't happy that he was pretty much confining me to the building. But I also knew he was only agreeing to stay in the building to make me agree, so I decided to be calm about it and prove that I could do it if he could.

The meeting didn't last much longer, and when it was over Ranger walked me to my cubicle, telling me he'd get me some searches to do. He didn't need to, however, since we found my inbox full.

"Guess I better put you back on the payroll," Ranger said, tugging a curl.

And for some reason, that irritated me. He was back to normal, but I still had anger simmering. With Joe, we'd always blown up at each other before the fight was over, but I didn't even want to blow up at Ranger. I didn't just want to go back to normal yet either… so I snapped at him.

"And why would you assume I'm going to come back to work for Rangeman?"

"You've been doing searches. I just thought you'd want to get paid for the work you're doing, especially since you might not be able to go after skips for a while."

"Fine," I agreed, stumped by the logic but still not ready to let go of my anger.

I heard Ranger leave as I grabbed the first file and sighed with relief. I knew I was acting like a baby and I just wanted to be alone until I could get over it.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Babe?" I heard much later.

"Yeah?" I asked, looking up from my computer screen and stretching my arms above my head.

"Ella just called and told me she had dinner ready in the apartment. You want to head up?"

"I could eat," I said, as my stomach let out a rumble of agreement.

"Okay," Ranger said and led the way to the elevator.

Inside, I did some more stretches over my head, enjoying the feeling after sitting at the computer for too long.

"Everything all right?" Ranger asked after a minute.

"Yeah. I was just sitting still too long."

"Uh, I meant about earlier," he said, not looking at me as he let us into the apartment.

"Oh. Sorry about that. I'm better now." And I was. I'd cooled down, it had just taken me longer than him.

"Good," he said, pressing a kiss to my neck and heading for the kitchen.

When I followed him, I found him standing in the doorway, staring into the dimly lit room. The table, not the bar, was set with formal dishes. There were flowers, candles and wine chilling by the table… everything needed for a romantic dinner.

"I'm going to guess this wasn't your idea," I said coming up behind Ranger.

"Nope. This was all Ella. She may be trying to tell us something."

"Very subtle of her."

"Yeah. How about we pretend it was my idea. A 'sorry I was a jerk' dinner," Ranger said, giving me a half smile.

"We could do that," I mused. "Just don't think Ella will be able to bail you out of the dog house every time."

"Or what? You'll divorce me?"

"Nope. I'll refuse to," I said, walking around him and setting myself at the table. "And since this is your apology dinner now, you can serve me my food."

"Only you, Babe," Ranger said, laughing.

And he did serve me. He brought the covered dishes from the tray Ella had left and scooped generous helpings onto my plate and poured me a glass of wine with a flourish. If I hadn't already gotten over being mad, this definitely would have done the trick.

By the time we got to dessert, a cheesecake drizzled with strawberries and chocolate, I'd had two glasses of wine and was feeling very nice. The apology dinner had worked and I'd completely forgiven Ranger for being a jerk. To prove it, I offered him a bite of my cheesecake, since he was only having coffee. When he declined, I swirled my finger around in the strawberries and chocolate and offered him that, telling him it was fruit.

And he accepted, gently taking my hand and licking the topping off. Each touch of his tongue sent jolts of electricity through my body and I think I forgot to breathe.

"Yum," he finally said, releasing my hand and breaking the spell, but only slightly.

Able to move once more, I offered him the bite of cheesecake again and this time he accepted. He took the fork and ate the cheesecake before cutting another bite and feeding it to me. While I ate, he finished my wine and then poured us another glass, holding it to my lips once I'd swallowed. We went on like that until the dessert was gone and Ranger scooped up the remainder of the topping on his finger and offered it to me like I had done to him. Tentatively, I took his hand and licked his finger clean, just like he had done.

But I didn't release his hand when I was finished. Instead, I curled his other fingers away from his palm, and placed a soft kiss there. I felt his fingers twitch against my face and then his hand move into my hair, holding my head still as he brought his mouth down to mine.

The kiss had a dizzying, drugging effect and I barely noticed as Ranger scooped me up out of my chair, never breaking the kiss, and walked us into the bedroom. Lying on the bed, we continued to kiss with our hands roaming over and under clothing, until Ranger broke away and moved down my body. He lifted my shirt, giving each inch of exposed skin butterfly kisses and causing me to writhe at the tickling, tingling sensation. When he had my shirt off, he brought his lips back to mine and I buried my hands in his hair to keep him there. It wasn't until he rolled us, and began to unhook the clasp of my bra that I realized what was going on… and immediately stiffened.

"Babe?" Ranger asked, abandoning my bra and running his hands up and down my back in a soothing motion.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, tucking my head under his chin and hiding.

My body was screaming, demanding to know why I stopped. It wasn't because I didn't want him, but because I did. I wanted all of him. And I knew that sleeping with him would be the last straw, my heart would surrender itself to him completely. I wouldn't survive having him hand it back to me. So, I stopped myself and held onto the tiny piece of me that wasn't his and wondered how long I'd be able to hold on, and if I really even wanted to.

"Me too," Ranger said, interrupting my thoughts.

I tried to pull away, wanting to escape into the bathroom, but Ranger tightened his arms around me. It only lasted for a second, before he released me completely, and I didn't stop to think about it while I made my get away.

I did my business in the bathroom and knew I couldn't stay in there much longer. It was too early to get ready for bed, but I didn't want things to be awkward with Ranger, just hanging out in the apartment. I still hadn't come up with a plan after ten minutes, though, and reluctantly left my hiding place.

Thankfully, Ranger wasn't in the bedroom waiting for me. I knew I'd have to face him, but I was glad he'd moved to more neutral territory than the bedroom.

I found him in the kitchen a few minutes later. He was cleaning up the mess we'd left on the table with our impromptu departure.

"Want some help?" I asked softly.

"Sure." He'd turned at the sound of my voice and held out a pile of dishes to take back into the kitchen.

We cleared and wiped the table in tense silence. When we were done, Ranger gently placed a hand on my back, steering me into the living room. I began to silently pray that we weren't going to talk about what happened. I was perfectly happy to pretend that it hadn't happened at all and just go on like we had been.

"You okay?" Ranger asked once we were both seated on the couch.

"Uh, yeah."

"I really am sorry about earlier. I was out of line."

"I was just as much at fault," I assured him.

I prayed that that was the end of the conversation and relaxed when his response was a half smile. I really needed some denial for now.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

A/N: Thank you all so much for reading! Please review and let me know what you thought about the chapter, I love the feedback :)


	18. Chapter 17

_They're not mine and I'm not making any money… Thank you all for the wonderful reviews and for the ones the let me know it was past time for another chapter :) And thanks Haleigh for your help editing, I appreciate everything! _

**What Happens in Vegas**

**Chapter 17**

_We cleared and wiped the table in tense silence. When we were done, Ranger gently placed a hand on my back, steering me into the living room. I began to silently pray that we weren't going to talk about what happened. I was perfectly happy to pretend that it hadn't happened at all and just go on like we had been._

"_You okay?" Ranger asked once we were both seated on the couch._

"_Uh, yeah."_

"_I really am sorry about earlier. I was out of line."_

"_I was just as much at fault," I assured him._

_I prayed that that was the end of the conversation and relaxed when his response was a half smile. I really needed some denial for now._

My prayers were answered after that, because Ranger didn't seem any more inclined to further discuss what had happened than I was. Instead, he grabbed the remote and began flipping through the channels on the TV. We sat in unspoken silence until he broke it to ask if the movie he'd selected was all right.

"Uh, yeah. Of course." I'd been lost in my own thoughts, not paying attention to what he picked.

We were quiet again after that and I forced myself to be distracted by the movie. It was an action-adventure that I'd never seen and before long I was snuggled into Ranger, sharing the popcorn he'd made. Things were back to normal and the sexual tension was forced back into its corner. We even made it through the post-heroic rescue sex scene without too much of a problem. I just pointedly didn't look at Ranger and prayed he couldn't feel my heart pounding as easily as I could feel the slight tension in the arm he had around me.

It was late by the time the movie was over, so I disentangled myself from Ranger and stood stretching. He stood as well, and gave me a playful swat on the butt, sending me off to the bedroom to get ready for bed. And I breathed a sigh of relief once my back was to him. The friendly teasing was back, so things were back to normal.

The relief vanished as soon as I was ready for bed, though. I was standing in the middle of the room, like my first night there, wondering where I should sleep… Could I trust myself to sleep with Ranger?

"Get in the bed. I won't touch unless you touch first," Ranger said, coming in to the room and giving me an amused look.

"I'm going. I was just thinking about… out stalker," I lied. I definitely didn't want Ranger to know what I was thinking.

But from the quirked eyebrow he gave me on his way into the bathroom, I'm pretty sure I was outdone by his ESP once again.

I tucked myself into bed, and listened to the sound of Ranger in the shower, waiting for it to lull me to sleep like usual. But it wasn't happening. I really wanted to get to sleep before he got out here, avoiding awkward situations by default, but sleep wasn't calling. When I heard the door to the bathroom open, I decided that pretending to sleep was my best option.

After a minute, I felt Ranger slide into bed beside me. I had to focus on forcing my muscles to stay relaxed when he pulled me over to himself and tucked me into his side. I did a pretty good job until I felt him place a little kiss on the side of my head and move over kissing my cheek. Against my will, I turned my head so my lips met his and I softly kissed him back.

"I knew you were faking," he said, breaking the kiss after a few minutes.

"You said you wouldn't touch," I accused. I wasn't really mad, more confused by this latest kiss, so I gave him a glare anyway.

He must have realized that I wasn't mad because he dropped a kiss to my forehead before leaning back. "I know."

I tried to raise my eyebrow at that, but didn't quite pull it off.

"I just wanted to prove you were awake. Now the 'no touching' deal is in place." And as he said that, he carefully set me away from himself and tucked the covers up around me.

I heard him settle himself for sleep, and after a few minutes I heard his breathing even out. I'd never had much of an opportunity to watch him sleep, so I carefully turned on my side and scooted a bit closer. His face was relaxed, without his usual alertness and look of total concentration.

I continued to study him, waiting for sleep to come for me too, but it just wasn't working. After a few minutes I gave a frustrated sigh. During my Ranger-study, I'd focused in on the arm nearest me, which he'd thrown over his head, perfectly exposing the shoulder I like to use as a pillow. It was like he was taunting me. But we had the 'no touch' deal.

Eventually I gave in and snuggled into him. I'd known I would, but at least I'd held out for a good half hour.

He brought down the arm he'd had above his head and tucked me more securely against himself and I felt myself relaxing, ready for sleep. Then he spoke.

"I win."

"You're an ass," I said, trying to pull away. "Have you been awake the whole time?"

"No. Not until you crawled onto me."

"I didn't crawl onto you. I put my head on you shoulder. There's a big difference."

"Semantics, Babe, you still touched first."

"Fine," I said, and tried to move away. If being a pillow bothered him he could have said something.

He held me tight, though. "Doesn't mean you have to move."

While I struggled with my decision, he leaned in and kissed the bridge of my nose, then ran his lips gently over my face, eventually making it to my lips. I didn't protest, so he deepened the kiss slightly, but didn't escalate it any further. After a few minutes, I realized that he was restraining himself, not letting things go too far. I was grateful that he wasn't taking things further, but another part of me was disappointed.

The kissing eventually ended, and he tucked me into his arms so I could settle my head back onto his shoulder. I felt content and relaxed as sleep began to settle over me. I had a fleeting wish that this could be real, but drifted off before I even realized what I was thinking.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

I woke up when Ranger's alarm went off and felt his chest muscles moving beneath me. When the alarm stopped, I cracked one eye in curiosity. Other mornings, Ranger had had to move me off of himself to reach the alarm. This morning, I noticed that the alarm was on the edge of the nightstand, just within Ranger's reach.

"That's nice," I said, tipping my head in the direction of the moved alarm without picking my head up off his shoulder. "But it still means my pillow's getting up."

"So are you. I just thought you might like a few minutes to wake up more slowly before I drag you to the gym."

"That's sweet. It would be really sweet if you'd let me sleep in."

"I let you sleep in yesterday. And I wouldn't want to risk getting a reputation as a 'sweet guy.' That would completely ruin my image." With that, Ranger placed a kiss in my hair and started to edge himself out from underneath of me.

"Do we really have to get up?" I asked, moving my arms to either side of him in one last effort to keep my pillow in bed.

"Yeah."

"You're sure?" This time, I flickered my eyelashes at him in an exaggeratedly flirtatious manner.

"Babe, now you're playing with fire," he growled from deep in his chest, making me feel it all through my body.

I felt myself shiver, and I knew he felt it too, so I moved my arms, allowing him to get up easily. I had always been amazed at how our interaction could go from teasing to deadly sexy so easily; but lately, it seemed to be happening in the blink of an eye.

Not wanting to think about it, I got ready to go to the gym, but didn't actually go without one more attempt to get out of it.

"Do I really need to go to the gym any more?"

"Are you an expert in self defense?"

"If I said yes would I get out of going?"

"Babe."

Taking that as a 'no,' I continued arguing. "I'm confined to a secure building. I don't really need self defense."

"Consider it a way to pass the time, since I know you'll be bored soon enough," Ranger said, shoving me into the gym since we'd arrived by then.

The time went quickly, as usual, once we got started. We spent about fifteen minutes reviewing everything I'd learned and Ranger made a few comments about regretting teaching me the leg swipes. When he was sure I had it all down, we moved onto the new stuff. I learned a couple more kicks and hits and then Ranger showed me how to move easily between moves.

I was working on a punching bag and having so much trouble transitioning between kicks and punches that I thought the bag was winning. Ranger must have agreed, because he told me to stop and began demonstrating.

I can't really say that I paid attention to the mechanics and form of what Ranger was showing me. I was too distracted by the way his muscles were rippling and working and how gracefully his body moved. I was vaguely aware of him speaking, explaining exactly what he was doing, but I wasn't understating a word of it.

"You got that, Babe?" he asked after a few minutes.

"Um."

"Babe," he said, giving me a knowing smile, and causing me to blush.

"I can't help it," I said.

"That's something you should work on." He was walking towards me now, giving me a predatory stare.

He stopped, millimeters away, and somehow I managed not to take off running. When I smelled the masculine, sweaty scent mixed with Bulgari coming off of him, I decided that not running might have been a mistake. My hormones were humming, and waging battle with rational Stephanie.

"You're looking at me like I'm lunch," Ranger eventually said, interrupting the battle.

"The same could be said about you."

His eyes flashed dark at that, and I thought he was about to kiss me until I remembered we were in a gym filled with his employees in the view of multiple cameras. I didn't know whether to be relieved or disappointed.

I somehow managed to break the spell by stepping away and bending into a cool-down stretch to break our gaze. "Are we done for the day?"

"Yeah. We've done enough for today," Ranger said, and from the corner of my eye I saw him beginning the same stretches.

When we were done, we headed back up to the apartment, not speaking and being careful not to touch. We took our turns in the shower and I noticed that I didn't get any glimpses of a towel clad Ranger today.

I didn't even hear Ranger until he called out that breakfast was ready while I was adding my last swipe of mascara. And despite the slight nervous feeling I had, I managed to leave the safety of the bedroom.

"Babe," he said over his newspaper as I entered the kitchen.

He seemed completely at ease, like he couldn't even feel the tension between us. And I had a sudden thought. What if the tension and escalation of emotion were all in my head? What if we were only behaving like we had before we were married and my imagination and desire for more were blowing things out of proportion? Unexpectedly embarrassed, I tried my best to act naturally.

"Ranger," I replied as calmly as I could.

"Any plans for today?"

"Just staying in the building… Probably doing a bunch of searches. You?"

"Same. And getting some work done in my office. This is probably a good chance to catch up on my paper work."

He'd folded up his paper by now, and I nearly laughed out loud at the look that flitted across his face at the word 'paper work.' It was pretty clear that he wasn't looking forward to it.

After that, we sat in silence for a while, but unlike the last few days, the silence didn't feel comfortable. Instead, I felt awkward and nervous. I nearly jumped each time Ranger moved to reach for a bagel or sip his coffee. Finally, I realized that I'd just have to say something.

"Anything interesting in there?" I asked, nodding my head at his newspaper. It was the best I could come up with.

"Not really. Marty Steinberg was arrested again. Possession with intent to sell this time."

"That's a surprise," I said, smiling a little.

Marty was a Rangeman regular, always getting arrested on drug related charges and always skipping his court date the first time around. You'd think Vinnie would just stop bailing him out, but Vinnie never was the brightest crayon in the box. So Ranger and the guys kept bringing him in.

We kept up light talk like that until we finished breakfast and then piled the dishes on the tray Ella had left for us. Neither of us tackled the other to the floor, and in the elevator there was no kissing or tickling. And, if I was honest, I was disappointed. I'd been enjoying Ranger's playful side despite, or maybe because of, where it seemed to be leading us.

I shook myself out of these thoughts when Ranger and I paused at my cubicle. There was an awkward moment, where we both just stood there, looking at one another, but he told me he'd be in his office and left, effectively breaking it.

Not knowing what else to do, I sat myself down in my chair and booted up my computer. Grabbing the top file from my inbox, I saw Rodriguez's familiar signature and resigned myself to a day of his searches.

By noon, I'd gotten through three searches on skips and two intensive background checks on prospective clients. Looking at my out box, I decided I deserved a break.

I stood and allowed myself a good stretch until I heard wolf whistles coming from the control room. One hand was used to pull my too-short Rangeman shirt down and the other to flick off the security camera. With that done, I headed off for the break room where I found Ella just delivering sandwiches.

"Yay, I get first pick," I said, leaning over the tray she was unloading them from.

"No," she said, causing my eyes to open wide in shock. This was not typical Ella behavior. She laughed at the look on my face before explaining. "The boys told me what a good sport you're being about staying inside, and Ranger too, so I made you a good lunch. It's upstairs."

"Oh, you didn't have to," I said because I felt it was necessary.

"I know. But I like to. I was just about to go let Ranger know, unless you want to."

"I can," I said before bouncing off to his office and knocking on the door.

"Come in," I heard from the other side, just as I was turning the door knob to do just that.

"Ready for lunch?" I asked, dropping myself in one of the chairs across from Ranger's desk.

"I could eat. Why? Do we have a date?" That was said with a bit of a wicked gleam in his eye.

"Apparently. Ella made us lunch up in the apartment for behaving and staying safe."

"All right. Let me just save this," Ranger said, turning his attention to his computer and clicking a few things before standing.

We walked in silence to the elevator, and I was glad to see that the tension of the morning was much diminished. Or it was buried under my excitement to see what Ella had made for us. Either way, I was feeling better now.

"So… You get your paperwork done?" I asked Ranger as we rode up to the apartment.

"I made a dent. How are your searches going?"

"Made a dent. I got a couple done for Rodriguez and did some client background checks. One looks good, the other not so much. Too many unaccountable expenditures."

"Tank gets to sort through those before they even get to me. It's good to be the boss," he said, winking and wrapping an arm around my waist.

I leaned back to look at him though. "Did you just wink at me? You never wink."

"I do, it's just rare," he said, still smiling.

We were to the apartment by now and when he opened the door, I skirted around him and headed for the kitchen ready to check out lunch. But I couldn't find it… no tray, nothing in the 'fridge or oven…

"In here, Babe," I heard Ranger call as my confusion was growing.

It sounded like he was in the living room, so I headed that way. I found him there as well as a red checked blanket, spread on the floor, and a picnic basket. The only thing I could do was laugh out loud.

"I may have to have a word with Ella," Ranger said, looking between me and the basket.

"Let her enjoy herself." With that, I grabbed his hand and sat myself down on the blanket, using all of my weight to pull him with me.

Investigating the basket, I found a container of fruit salad, grilled chicken, a rice dish with veggies in it, a bottle of sparkling grape juice, and finally, an apple pie. I wanted to start with the pie, but Ranger pulled out plates and started dishing up chicken, fruit and rice for me. Since everything smelled good, I figured I could wait.

I quickly tried everything and Ella had outdone herself. "Even the fruit is good."

"So you might be learning to like it?"

"I didn't say that, but I wouldn't complain if Ella made us more picnics with it while we're cooped up here."

"I think if it takes long enough to find Harper, I could have you converted to healthy eating," Ranger said, giving me a teasing smile.

I only responded with a light smile as my train of thought switched tracks. "Do you think it's going to take long to find Harper and deal with him?"

"I don't know, Babe. Are you in a hurry to get a divorce?"

"You know I'm not," I said, and then immediately felt a blush spread over my face. That hadn't come out quite right, but I wasn't sure how to say what I meant.

Luckily, I was saved by the door to the apartment bursting open.

"Boss, Bomber, how are our favorite people?" Lester asked as he, Tank and Bobby sat themselves down on the edges of the blanket.

"Can we help you?" Ranger asked, ignoring the question.

"Not really. We just saw Ella on the monitors, carrying a basket up here and figured you had a better lunch than us," Bobby said while peeking into the basket. "We were right. And, there looks to be enough that you could share…"

"And why would we want to do that?" I asked, teasing them.

"Because you love us," Lester said.

Ranger gave that a raised eyebrow, causing Tank to make his argument next.

"I didn't want to have to do this, but I'll resort to black mail. Bomber, don't make me tell Lula that you and Ranger were having a romantic, indoor picnic, alone in his apartment…"

"You wouldn't," I said.

"It would get me out of the doghouse since I haven't been keeping her informed about you two."

"You can stay. I was going to let you anyway," I finally said.

"Good, if you weren't, we were planning on kidnapping the basket," Bobby said as the guys began helping themselves.

We spent the rest of our lunch break talking and joking, and I learnt more about the guys than I thought I ever would. Eventually, though, someone's cell rang, calling us all back to work. The sound pulled me out of the doze I'd fallen into against Ranger's shoulder while the guys reminisced about their Army days. We quickly got the picnic picked up, and were back to real life.

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A/N: Thank you all for reading and for your patience with me over the last few weeks… I'm going to try to post more often and should be able to since I'm just about done with my summer job that's been consuming all my time!


	19. Chapter 18

_I still don't own anything, and I'm not making any money… Also, thank you all for reading and for all of the wonderful reviews, I really appreciate them. And thanks again to Haleigh.l and Harmne for your help editing, especially on short notice ;) Other than that, please enjoy!_

**What Happens in Vegas**

**Chapter 18**

Eventually, our picnic came to an end and we all migrated back to the fifth floor to get back to work. I did notice that the guys somehow managed to migrate faster than Ranger and I, leaving us to clean up. I didn't really mind though, since my alternative was more searches for Rodriguez.

Ranger and I finally did make it back to our respective office and cubicle and I started my searches. I'd just gotten into my own little zone when I heard knocking on my doorway. Flipping my head over the back of my chair, I saw an upside down Ranger.

"Yo, Babe," he said, while I flipped right side up again and turned to face him.

"Can I help you?" I asked. "In case you didn't notice, I'm busy doing vitally important work for your company."

"Right," he said, crossing over to my computer and scanning the windows I had minimized on my screen before restoring Cosmo's web page. "Very important."

"That was from earlier."

"I don't mind, Babe. I'm curious about who you were planning to use this stuff on."

I felt my face heat up when I realized the page I had open was an article to 'double his pleasure.'

"You needed something?" I said, not so subtly avoiding his comment.

"Yeah, I came to tell you I got a call from my Grandma Rosa."

"And," I prompted as my belly gave a nervous flutter.

"We're expected tonight for dinner with my family. No arguments."

"But," I said, casting my mind about for ways out of this before remembering we had a stalker. "Aren't we doing the safe house thing here?" I was currently having visions of a Cuban Grandma Bella.

"Yeah, but the threat level isn't so high that we can't go out at all. And when Abuela insists, you don't say no."

"She doesn't have the Eye does she?"

"The eye?"

"Yeah, you know… like the ability to curse people and see into the future. Joe's Grandma Bella was always seeing me with bambinos or my death. Usually my violent death."

"No, nothing like that," Ranger said, looking pretty amused.

"All right then. But only if you promise to protect me if she starts any funny business."

"Babe, I always protect you. But she's gonna love you just like the rest of my family."

I rolled my eyes at that and then flicked them towards the clock. It was a little after three-thirty which meant I had to start getting ready if we were going to make it to Newark on time. Ranger must have noticed, because he gave me a smile and sent me upstairs.

Once there, I made a bee line for the shower, striping along the way and leaving my clothes strewn about the bedroom. I took a quick shower, or as quick as possible while shampooing, conditioning, shaving and debating between Bulgari and my own shower gel. The Bulgari would give me that little courage boost, but I'd also smell like Ranger while visiting his family. In the end I decided on my own gel and made it out before I turned too pruney.

I wrapped my body and hair in fluffy towels and headed for the dressing area. I pulled on bra and panties and a nice pair of jeans before going back to the vanity to start the battle against my hair.

Half an hour later, I laid down my blow drier and hairspray and called it a draw. I had to get started on my makeup. That didn't take long since I could probably do it blindfolded, and by the time I was adding the last swipe of mascara, I heard Ranger entering the apartment.

Scurrying to the closet, I quickly grabbed the shirt I'd selected from my mental inventory while doing my hair. I just managed to pull it over my head as Ranger entered the bedroom.

"All ready, Babe?"

"Just about. I need to get my purse and shoes yet."

"All right. I'll be ready in a few minutes." And he disappeared into the bathroom.

While he was in there, I dug a pair of shoes out of the closet that would match my shirt and checked through my purse. Finding everything in order, I went out to the living room to wait. I was trying to limit the amount of time I spent in Ranger's presence when he wasn't fully dressed… and hoping it'd help me keep my hormones in check since I could feel my control slipping by the day.

I didn't have long to wait before he was ready, and soon we were off, along with our Merry Men escort.

In the car, I could feel myself fidgeting and saw Ranger's eyes flicking from the road to me and back, but I couldn't help it. I tried to sit still, but I was once again a ball of nerves. What if Ranger's grandmother hated me like Grandma Bella? What if his family had decided that they didn't really like me?

"Babe," broke into my thoughts.

"Sorry," I said. I knew my fidgeting couldn't be good for his zone.

"Don't be sorry. And don't be nervous. There's no reason."

"Easy for you to say," I muttered.

Ranger took one hand off the wheel at that, and picked up my left hand. "My family already likes you. My mother has threatened to disown me if I don't convince you to stay married. And the worst Abuela may do is make pro-grandchildren statements, but she always does, so it's not a big deal."

"Your mother threatened to disown you?" I assumed that was something like my mother threatening to never make me pineapple upside-down cake

"Yep. She doesn't want me to let the 'one woman who would tolerate my lifestyle' go."

"Huh," I said, studying the dashboard because I was at a loss for how to reply to that.

Then I saw it. A spider, crawling along, until it stopped on the panel for my airbag, poised to attack me.

"Ranger," I said.

"Yeah, Babe?" He gave my hand a gentle squeeze, but didn't take his attention from the road.

"Remember when you told me you always protect me?"

"Yeah," he said, and I saw the corners of his mouth turn up as his eyes flicked to me again. I was wondering how Mr. Aware of His Surroundings could be missing the viscous, probably poisonous spider.

"Time to prove it."

That made him turn his head slightly towards me and I saw the concerned look on his face. Finally.

"Babe?"

"There's a spider looking at me like I'm its next meal."

He followed my gaze until he spotted the spider. And then his blank face slammed down. I felt a moment of terror that it really was a poisonous spider, until I registered which emotion he was masking with the blank face. It was amusement.

I contemplated being mad, until I saw Ranger pull a tissue from some compartment. He reached out and easily balled up the tissue with the spider in it, before opening his window and shaking the tissue out. Once he was sure the tissue was spider-free, he closed the window and gave me a smile.

"Better?"

"Yes. Thank you," I said, not sure what emotion to express. I was thankful the spider was gone, but pissed he thought it was funny. Instead, I tried my version of the blank face.

The next thing I knew Ranger was shutting off the car and I looked around. We were there. I'd been so focused on the spider, I hadn't noticed Ranger winding his way through his old neighborhood and up to the house. I also hadn't had the chance to be nervous. Now I was.

But then I was distracted again.

Ranger opened my door and was offering me a hand to pull me out of the car and escort me up to the house. Problem was, it was the hand he used to ball up the spider with. And he used the other to empty the tissue. Yuck.

"No thanks," I said, getting myself out of the car.

"Babe?" Ranger asked. I rarely passed up an opportunity where we could be touching.

"You touched the spider with that hand."

"Through a tissue."

"You could still have spider cooties on you. You need to wash your hands."

"Spider cooties?"

"Yep."

"Are they related to death cooties?" Ranger asked, and I saw a bit of a wolf grin.

I just glared to cover up the blush he caused by bringing up the night we had the death cootie discussion and got out of the car.

As we made our way up the walk, I saw Ranger's mother Gloria and an older Hispanic woman I was going to guess was his grandmother appear in the doorway. So the radar that alerts mothers to the return of offspring is a cross cultural phenomenon…

That thought distracted me until we made it to the door and I heard Ranger greeting the women. Then came the introduction.

"Abuela, this is Stephanie Plum. And Babe, this is my Abuela, Rosa Manoso."

"It's nice to meet you Mrs. Manoso," I responded, offering my hand as Burg manners automatically took over.

"Call me Abuela," she said as she clasped my hand in both of hers, "and I'm happy to finally meet you too. I've been looking forward to meeting my Carlos' wife."

From the way she said that and the smile on her face, I was going to guess that she wasn't clued into the particulars of our marriage or that it was a temporary situation. Looking at Ranger, I could tell he had noticed too and was glaring at his mother. She just gave him an 'it's your problem' look before ushering us into the house for dinner, putting an end to the issue for the time being.

We went straight to the dining room, and I was glad to see that there would only be Ranger and I, his parents and grandmother for dinner. Things with Abuela were going okay, but I was still nervous. It was a relief not to risk having Ranger's sisters to be compared with. Grandma Bella loved to point out how I should be like the Morelli women and pop out babies while keeping an immaculate house.

Thankfully my fears were considerably calmed by the time we were fifteen minutes into the dinner. Nothing specific did it, but talk had been mostly about how things were going at RangeMan and how Gloria was planning on redecorating the sitting room. Much better than marriage and babies. And fifteen minutes is more than enough time for my denial to send me into a happy state of security.

"And how are things going with the stalker?" Manuel, Ranger's father, asked when there was a lull in the conversation.

I noticed that Ranger's mother sat up a bit more to pay attention as Ranger worked out an answer.

"We've established that it's a former skip, Blake Harper. He's become slightly more threatening, but we're still having trouble locating him. The current plan is for Steph and me to limit our time outside of the Rangeman building until we have more information."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. He'd told his family about Harper the way he would give a report to one of the guys.

He must have caught my look, despite the fact that I _didn't_ roll my eyes, because I felt him kick me under the table.

"Footsie?" I whispered at him, doing my best to raise one eyebrow.

Before he could respond with more than an amused look, Abuela spoke.

"I didn't know you and Stephanie had a stalker, Carlos. That explains so much."

"Abuela?" He even did the one word thing with his grandmother.

"I was wondering why you and Stephanie hadn't completed your marriage yet."

"What?" I couldn't help blurting out, as a mixture of feelings I couldn't sort out washed over me at the idea of not being married to Ranger.

"Gloria said you and Carlos had a civil ceremony, but in the eyes of the Church you're not married. I'm assuming you're waiting until after you're safe from your stalker to have the church ceremony. You are Catholic, right?"

"Um, yes," I said, not knowing what else to say. She's Ranger's grandmother, no way was I starting the conversation about not getting married in the Church or even staying 'civilly united.'

Abuela looked at Ranger next, but he was saved by his phone. And from his tone and the few words he spoke, I could tell something had gone wrong and we'd be leaving soon. I only felt a tiny bit bad for being relieved about that.

"What's up?" I asked as soon as Ranger snapped his phone shut.

"Control just lost feed on a warehouse here in Newark that RangeMan provides security for. The guys and I are going to go over and check it out. Most likely the building's lost power," Ranger said, addressing the table, then looking directly at me. "You stay here."

From the look on my face he must have realized I was going to argue. But before the words could even come out of my mouth, he quickly excused us from the table and led me into the sitting room.

"No arguments, Babe. It shouldn't take long and you'll be fine with my family."

"But what if it's a trap?" The words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them. I didn't want to sound like I was worried about him, I knew that was a reason he didn't do relationships. But I couldn't help it. It kind of came along with the 'loving him' thing.

"That's why you're staying here," he said, reaching out to tuck a curl behind my ear while using his other arm to pull me close.

"What about you?"

"I'll be fine. Like I said, the building probably lost power, which would stop the feed. A team just needs to go check things out and we're closest."

"The guys could go by themselves…"

"We have Ram, Hal and Zero with us. They don't work with the security systems and won't be able to reset it or find the problem. I'll still take Hal and Zero with me. Will that make you feel better?"

"Can't you take all three?"

"No. Ram stays with you."

"Oh."

"I'm going to send him in and go get things taken care of. We'll be back before you know it. Just try not to let Abuela plan a wedding while I'm gone."

"I'll try," I said, smiling at his attempt to cheer me up.

With a last squeeze to my hand, Ranger was moving across the room towards the door. I caught up with him just as he was reaching for the door knob and slid my body between him and the door, wrapping my arms around him. I barely registered his shocked look before I pressed my lips to his and lost myself in the kiss as he took control of it.

When we finally pulled apart, he rested his forehead against mine while our breathing slowed to normal.

"What was that for?" he asked after a long minute.

"You forgot your good luck kiss," I said, blushing a little at my behavior.

"Then thanks for remembering," he said before pressing another soft kiss to my lips.

When we pulled apart this time, he'd turned us so I was no longer between him and the door. And he slipped out of it before my senses had fully recovered.

I took a deep breath to prepare myself for going back to the kitchen to face Abuela. By myself, this time.

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A/N: Thank you all for reading, I hope you enjoyed the chapter… please review and let me know!


	20. Chapter 19

_I don't own anything, and I'm not making any money. Also, a big thanks to Haleigh.l and Harmne for their help editing this… And thank you all for reading. I'm sorry about the massive wait between chapter, real life got a bit busy._

**What Happens in Vegas**

**Chapter 19**

_With a last squeeze to my hand, Ranger was moving across the room towards the door. I caught up with him just as he was reaching for the door knob and slid my body between him and the door, wrapping my arms around him. I barely registered his shocked look before I pressed my lips to his and lost myself in the kiss as he took control of it._

_When we finally pulled apart, he rested his forehead against mine while our breathing slowed to normal._

"_What was that for?" he asked after a long minute._

"_You forgot your good luck kiss," I said, blushing a little at my behavior._

"_Then thanks for remembering," he said before pressing another soft kiss to my lips._

_When we pulled apart this time, he'd turned us so I was no longer between him and the door. And he slipped out of it before my senses had fully recovered._

_I took a deep breath to prepare myself for going back to the kitchen to face Abuela. By myself, this time._

oOoOoOoOoOo

Ranger had barely been gone two minutes when I heard the door swing open again. I turned quickly, half expecting him to come back through, saying he'd decided to stay. Instead, it was Ram, who simply gave me a polite nod.

"So, you're in charge of my safety now?" I asked, teasing slightly to cover up any disappointment that may have shown on my face.

"Yep," was Ram's only answer. He wasn't looking overly thrilled about that.

I really did feel bad about making the Merry Men nervous, so I cast around my mind for something that would reassure him. "You probably don't have anything to worry about. Ranger probably has some state of the art security system installed in this place and I'll be on my best behavior. I promise. In fact, I'm going to go back into the dining room right now and see what Gloria made for dessert. Why don't you come, I'm sure it'll be great."

I was babbling, but it had the desired effect, because Ram nodded again and followed me back into the dining room.

"Um, Ranger left for a bit," I said as the eyes of Ranger's family turned towards me. I wasn't sure, but more than likely they were used to the disappearing Ranger routine.

"We'll just have to have dessert without him. And Elton, it's nice to see you again," Gloria said, before heading back into the kitchen.

"Elton?" I asked, turning to Ram.

"Real name's, uh, Elton Ramsey," Ram said, coloring a bit.

I thought for a few seconds about teasing him, but decided against it. He was already uncomfortable enough. "Ram fits you better," was all I said instead.

No one had a chance to say anything else before Gloria came back out of the kitchen carrying dessert and served us with a practiced hand. It was some sort of cake with a Spanish name I can't remember, and it was wonderful. So wonderful that it even took my mind off the fact that Ranger was off doing the Batman thing and that I was alone with his family.

Ram kicking me under the table brought me back to reality so I turned a glare on him. Then, I realized why he was trying to get me attention. Abuela was planning.

"It will be so good having Carlos married. We can finally get him settled into that big house of his and then the nino's will start coming."

I actually paused my fork, holding my last bite of dessert, when it was half way to my mouth at that comment. I didn't know much Spanish, but I did know that nino's meant kids. And my heart started thudding in my chest. How was I going to talk my way out of this one?

"Um," I started, deciding to wing it before realizing I had nothing.

Manuel came to my rescue though. "Mama, let Carlos take care of his own life. You should know by now that trying to do it for him doesn't work. Now why don't we all move into the living room where it's more comfortable?"

I shot him a grateful look for his help, but I was still afraid Abuela would start up again once we moved. I was frantically trying to think of a safe topic for Ranger's grandmother when I noticed Gloria beginning to clear plates.

"Let me help with those," I offered, shooting her a look that begged her not to argue.

"Thank you," was all she said with a knowing smile.

It wasn't until we were half way done clearing and everyone else had left the room that I realized what I'd done. I'd avoided Abuela, but I'd gotten myself alone with Gloria. Rolling my eyes, I contented myself with thinking up painful punishments for her son since he'd left me here alone.

"Sorry about Rosa," Gloria said while we scraped dishes and loaded them into the dishwasher.

"What?" I asked, looking up quickly.

"I didn't know she'd bring up all that about kids and you and Carlos not being married in the Church. I should have realized she would, since I didn't tell her you weren't planning on staying married. I just wasn't sure how to go about explaining…"

"Don't worry about it," I said. "I'm involved in this mess and I still don't know how to explain."

"It is quite a situation."

After she said that, we spent the next few minutes in awkward silence and the only sound in the kitchen was the scrape of forks against plates and the soft sound of dishes knocking against one another. And then all of my irritating, insecure thoughts began to swirl and one slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it.

"You don't hate me do you?"

"Hate you? Why would I hate you?"

I took a deep breath, realizing I may have started a conversation I wasn't up for with escape unless I wanted to face Abuela again. I decided to stick with the awkward conversation with my mother-in-law.

"Um, I got married to your son and I'm going to divorce him. And even if we were going to stay married, a wife from a dru- accidental, Vegas wedding can't be what you wanted for him…"

"I think we need to talk," was all she said before coming around the dishwasher to take my hand and lead me over to the bar where we both took a seat on a stool. "First, I don't hate you. I know my son well enough to know that this can't be entirely your fault. And second, I've only seen you with Carlos twice and it's been enough to see that you make him happy, so you're exactly what I would want for him in a wife."

"But we're getting divorced."

"Which I regret for both of your sakes, because from what the boys tell me, not only do you make him happy but he makes you happy too."

"Yeah," I said softly, unable to lie. "He does."

"And he loves you," she pushed on.

I felt my chest tighten at that before I whispered, "In his own way."

"Is that something my idiot son told you?"

I only nodded, willing my eyes not to fill up with tears. I'd never talked about any of this with anyone, not even Mary Lou. And Gloria's sympathetic, motherly manner was doing funny things to my emotions.

"And let me guess. He told you he doesn't want to have a relationship."

"Not recently, but yeah."

"So there is more to your relationship than friendship and a fling in Vegas?" Gloria finally asked knowingly.

"Maybe. I don't know."

"But, you want there to be more?"

I slowly nodded my head, terrified because I was finally admitting this to someone other than Rex.

"Does Carlos know any of this?" she asked, taking my hand and squeezing it in a reassuring manner.

"I don't think so."

"It's incredible you two have made it as far as you have," she said in a somewhat awestruck voice.

"He doesn't think it's safe," I said, feeling the need to defend him.

She muttered something in Spanish at that and raised her eyes towards Heaven in a way I'd seen my mother do too many times to count. "You need to change his way of thinking then."

I was about to ask how, because that was something I would really like to know, but Gloria started speaking again.

"Now enough of this. Rosa's going to come see what we're up to soon, so I'm going to get the coffee started. Why don't you get mugs down? They're in the cupboard to the right of the sink."

I sat, slightly stunned, for a long moment after she'd gotten up from the table before shaking my head and getting the mugs. By the time I placed them on the tray Gloria had directed me to, I was recovered and maybe ready to go out and face Abuela again.

I was wrong.

When we walked into the sitting room, it was clear what Abuela was talking about. She was quizzing a very uncomfortable looking Ram on when he thought she would be a great-grandmother again. And Manuel obviously didn't feel the same need to help Ram as he did for me, because he was simply leaning back in his chair with a look nearly identical to the one Ranger wore when he was amused.

"Would anyone like coffee?" Gloria asked, saving Ram from answering whether or not he thought there was a chance I was already pregnant. I actually saw him sigh in relief and had to smile that there was something besides _my_ Grandmother that frightened the Merry Men.

"That would be wonderful," Manuel said, accepting the mug that Gloria handed to him.

Meanwhile, Abuela had fixed her eyes on me. I squirmed under her stare while Ram was passed a mug and was grateful for the distraction when Gloria held the next one out to me. I had a feeling I wasn't going to like whatever was about to come out of Abuela's mouth.

"So, Stephanie," she said after she'd been handed her own mug. "When will you expect your next monthly cycle to begin, so Gloria and I will know when to ask whether the family is getting another little one."

I heard Ram choke on his coffee at that and barely saved my self from doing the same.

"What?" I sputtered.

"Unless you already have news for us."

"What?" I managed again before my brain caught up. "No. Definitely no."

"Then you and my grandson have not consummated yet," Abuela said with a slightly skeptical look.

I saw Ram fighting a smile at that and shot him a glare as my face began to flame. Looking at Abuela, I decided that maybe she was more like Grandma Mazur than I had thought. And like Grandma Mazur, only bluntness and honesty would work.

"No, actually I'm on the third day of my period. So, no baby."

We all sat in stunned silence after that. It seemed like no one knew what to say and not even Abuela had a response. Maybe I overdid the honesty thing…

I was trying to think of something to say to snap us out of the awkward silence, but not bring back awkward conversation when my phone rang, making me jump.

"Yo," I answered automatically without looking at the caller ID.

"Steph," I heard Tank's deep voice say. And little red flags started going off in my brain. Tank hardly ever called my phone and he never called me by my name.

"What's up?"

"Um… Damn, telling you this is just as hard as telling the boss. Bomber, Ranger seems to be missing."

"What?" I shrieked into the phone, drawing all eyes to me, so I snapped mine shut. "Tank, tell me you're joking. Tell me this is some sort of practical joke you and the guys are playing."

"Sorry, Bomber," he said, and I didn't hear anything more.

Eventually, I registered Tank alternately asking me if I was still there and if I was okay.

"Yeah," I managed to force out. I'm not sure which I was answering, but if I said I was okay I was lying.

"Bomber, can you please pass the phone to Ram. And stay with him."

"But…" I said. I wasn't sure what I was going to say, but I knew I needed to start doing something to find Ranger.

"No buts. Ranger would want you to stay put and stay safe until we had a plan. Can you do that?"

"Yes," I said with a sigh.

"Good. Now can you pass me to Ram?"

Without answering Tank, I held the phone out in Ram's direction. "Tank wants to talk to you."

As soon as I handed over the phone I realized I forgot to ask Tank what they knew so far, so I tried to get info from what Ram was saying. But all he said was 'yes,' 'yes,' and 'all right' before snapping my phone shut and handing it back to me. Not very enlightening.

I wanted to ask what he had found out, but I couldn't make my lips move. As long as I didn't ask, nothing bad could have happened. I was practicing denial at its finest.

Gloria was the one who finally broke the silence in the room. "What's wrong?"

Ram shot me a look, but when it was obvious I wasn't going to answer, he began to report.

"Ranger's MIA. He confirmed with control that he, Hal and Zero were en route to check the downed security system, but he never sent the call saying they'd arrived on site. Control couldn't reach his cell, so his GPS tracker was activated and checked.

"That showed him heading back towards Trenton before he dropped off the screen near Exit 9 on I-95 South. Tank, Lester and Bobby are heading here, ETA eighteen minutes. No contact has been established with Hal and Zero, but their transmitters place them at the building they went to check."

Gloria didn't say anything to that, but crossed the room, sat down in Manuel's lap and buried her face in his chest. I understood the feeling. I wanted nothing more right now than to curl into someone safe and warm. But he was the one missing.

"Don't worry," Abuela said, coming to stand in front of me. "My grandson is strong and smart, and he would not want it."

"I know. But, I…" I trailed off, because I didn't know what it was I wanted to say.

My voice seemed to catalyze Ram, though, because he moved from where he had been frozen, awkwardly watching the family scene.

"Um, Mr. and Mrs. Manoso, Tank wanted me to get Steph into the house's safe room until he and the guys got here. He said it was in the basement. And he also said it wouldn't be a bad idea for the rest of the family to go too."

I was about to protest that I didn't need locked away in a safe room and that I wanted to be doing something to help find Ranger. I'd go crazy locked away, but Manuel moved first.

"Of course," he said, standing and helping Gloria to stand also.

Then, he gently pulled me up form the couch before wrapping an arm around Abuela's waist and herding us all towards the basement. I was on my way before I knew what was happening.

I followed the family down some stairs into a finished basement and watched as Manuel keyed a long series of numbers into a keypad next to a door. After a minute, I heard locks disengage and a high-pitched beep before he pulled the door open and we all moved inside.

I was genuinely curious now, but Ranger's family wasn't acting like this was anything too out of the ordinary, and I had a sudden realization. For the people that Ranger let into his life, this _wouldn't_ be out of the ordinary. He would do everything in his power to keep his loved ones safe and they would go along if they wanted to be a part of his life.

Taking a good look around the room, I wondered if I could actually deal with this being a part of my life. Materially, the room had everything a person would need for a long stretch of boredom. There was a large screen TV, a shelf of DVD's and another of books, a couple overstuffed couches that would be perfect to nap on and even a mini fridge and microwave. There were a couple of doors which I assumed were closets with supplies, probably a bathroom and maybe a bedroom. No, a safe room like this wouldn't kill me.

But if I were honest, I wouldn't go to it every time I was told or without a fight. Just like I didn't usually listen when Ranger tried to send me to a safe house. But if it was criteria for having a relationship, I'd learn to live with it when it really was necessary.

"Come in and relax," Gloria said, pulling me out of my thoughts. "We're in here at least until the boys arrive."

I followed her to the couch and sank into the cushions with a sigh. Looks like I'm on lockdown. I glanced around the room at everyone else and saw Maneul and Ram looking at a monitor and occasionally pushing buttons. Abuela was sitting in a chair, knitting and looking like the stereotypical little-old-lady for now.

Everyone seemed calm enough, but I was on edge. Ranger was missing. Ranger didn't go missing, though. He found people who were missing, and was always in control.

"Relax," Gloria repeated, cutting through my thoughts. "Trust me, the only way through this is to believe that he's going to be okay."

"How?" I asked. I had been trying to distance myself, like Ranger had described while we were looking for Julie, but it wasn't working. I was really hoping that Gloria had a more effective method.

She didn't get to answer though, before we heard the locks disengaging and the guys came in looking ready to take over a third world country.

"Anything new?" I asked as soon as they were all in.

"Hal and Zero checked in," Tank said. "They came to about fifteen minutes ago and called control. They made it to the building they were checking, but were hit with tranquilizer darts as soon as they got out of the car. At this point, we are assuming Ranger was hit too. Hal remembers him swearing and swatting his neck before things went fuzzy."

"They're both okay?" I asked, hoping that if they were, and Ranger was hit with the same thing, he'd be awake by now and working his way out of this.

"Yeah. A bit embarrassed, but overall okay," Lester said.

"Good," Gloria said, trying to appear positive, but I could see the worry on her face. "Do you have any other leads on Carlos?"

"No ma'am," Tank said. "But we're working on it."

"Then what are you doing standing around here for?" Abuela asked, rising from her chair and coming to stand beside me. "I know you came to get Stephanie, now you get back to work. Just let me say good bye."

She reached up and wrapped her arms around me and I awkwardly hugged her back. "It was nice to meet you, Abuela," I said.

"And you to. My Carlitos is a lucky man to have found you."

I didn't respond to that, but Abuela didn't seem to expect me to, because she released me to Gloria and Manuel to say their goodbyes. Gloria told me once again not to worry too much, but I could see her own worry and fear was there, only hers was controlled by years of experience.

Squaring my shoulders, I followed the guys out of the safe room and out of the house, determined to learn to be strong like her since this was the life I'd chosen… Even if Ranger didn't know that yet.

oOoOoOoOoOo

A/N: Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it! I promise to try to get the next chapter posted _much_ more quickly… Please review and tell me what you thought :)


	21. Chapter 20

_I still don't own anything, and I'm not making any money. _

_Thank you all for reading, and being so patient! And thank you Haleigh.l and Melody for proofreading for me, I greatly appreciate your work._

**What Happens in Vegas**

**Chapter 20**

_She reached up and wrapped her arms around me and I awkwardly hugged her back. "It was nice to meet you, Abuela," I said._

"_And you to. My Carlitos is a lucky man to have found you."_

_I didn't respond to that, but Abuela didn't seem to expect me to, because she released me to Gloria and Manuel to say their goodbyes. Gloria told me once again not to worry too much, but I could see her own worry and fear was there, only hers was controlled by years of experience. _

_Squaring my shoulders, I followed the guys out of the safe room and out of the house, determined to learn to be strong like her since this was the life I'd chosen… Even if Ranger didn't know that yet._

oOoOoOoOo

I was in a daze the entire trip back to the RangeMan building, but as soon as we were parked, I was out of the Bronco. I ran across the garage and pushed the call button to the elevator before turning to glare at the guys for not hurrying as well. I wanted to get upstairs and start planning.

When they finally made it into the elevator, I jabbed the button for the fifth floor sharply and then started trying to pace. It turned out to be more than a little difficult in a small space filled with Merry Men but I was full of nervous energy.

After an eternity, the door opened with a ping and I darted out. Or at least I tried to. I made it about a foot before a dark arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me back against a large body.

"Easy, Bomber," I heard and felt Tank say. "Let's check in with control and see if anything's come up or changed, then we'll go from there."

"All right," I agreed and hurried to the control room, getting there only a few steps ahead of the guys.

"News?" Tank asked.

"Not much," said Cal, who was sitting at the monitor nearest the door. "Hal and Zero are on their way back from the site. They did a search, but didn't find anything of interest other than the darts they were shot with. They're bringing those back to be tested and we should have results in a few hours. Other than that, everything's been quiet."

"Good. Inform me if anything comes in."

"Yes, sir."

Tank turned around to look at Bobby and Lester next. He had the air of power and authority that Ranger usually generated; I could see why he was Ranger's second in command.

"Lester, I want all team leaders currently on site in Meeting Room Alpha in fifteen minutes. Bobby, have all employees contacted and put on call, tell them to be ready get here ASAP."

They gave him identical nods before sweeping away. I stood, slightly stunned by how quickly and efficiently things were getting moving. I'd never seen RangeMan mobilize, but then again, that was probably because they usually mobilized to search for me.

"Come on," Tank said to me. "Let's get down to the meeting room and get things set up."

I nodded and half walked, half jogged to keep up with Tank as he moved back to the elevator. We took it to the second floor, where I knew Ranger had conference rooms. The one Tank led me to was a large room with a dark wood table and cushiony black chairs. Heaving a sigh, I sank into one, feeling reality threaten to catch up with me for the first time.

"You have to think he'll be okay," Tank said, turning from the presentation equipment he'd been preparing and sinking into the chair next to me. "We don't do the really dangerous or international stuff any more. But when we did, he got into and out of bigger trouble than this."

I nodded, forcing myself to remember that Ranger was as close to a real life Batman as I was going to find. He wasn't really a superhero, but he was smart and skilled and could keep himself alive. I did my best not to remember the time I had almost seen him lose his life.

Thankfully, I didn't have long to think on that before the Rangemen began trickling into the conference room. I put my brave face on. Tank knew me well enough to know that there would be no fighting me, but I didn't want anyone else questioning my right to be a part of the search.

"Is everyone aware of the situation?" I heard Tank ask, snapping me from my thoughts once again.

I looked around the room and saw that the table had filled up with Rangemen, and they were all nodding. I guess news about Ranger had traveled fast.

"All right. We're assuming that Ranger has been taken by Blake Harper. Until confirmed, I want a team working on a list of other possible abductors."

I watched in amazement as three guys I didn't know instantly stood and quietly slipped from the room, obviously going to get to work on that.

"Now, let's review everything we have on Harper."

Lester stood to speak first. He went through, in fine detail, everything we knew on Harper to date. Most of it I was aware of, and some of it I wasn't. But somewhere along the line, I stopped paying attention. I was really beginning to remember why I hated these meetings. I was no good at sitting and planning, especially when I wanted to be out doing something.

Drifting back in for a minute, I heard Lester updating everyone on a meet that had been set up for tonight. Apparently, they'd found a dealer from Stark claiming to have seen Harper while everyone else was keeping quiet. They weren't sure where the lead was going, or even if they would get anything from it… especially now that Ranger had been taken and Harper would have likely moved. It was still worth checking out.

I was about to zone back out, since they were still discussing the reliability of the dealer instead of Ranger or Harper, when Tanks phone began to ring.

"Yo," he answered, before giving a neutral, "Okay." When he snapped his phone shut, I fixed him with an expectant look.

"Hal and Zero just got back," he announced. "I need to go talk to them. We're pretty much done here so everyone head out and get back to work. I want you to double or triple all efforts that were already being made to find Harper. All energy is going into finding Ranger. Pull in anyone you need."

The room emptied quickly and within a minute it was just Tank and I again.

"So what do I do?" I asked when he gave me a questioning look.

"It's going to be a long night. Why don't you head up to seven and try to get a nap in?"

"No," I said. I knew he was trying to help me, but there was no way I could sleep right now. "If I tried that, I'd start thinking and I don't think that's a good idea right now."

Tank studied me for a moment before saying, "Probably not. You're doing a great job holding it together. Ranger would be proud of you," he said gruffly. "If you want, you can go up to the control room and see if any of the guys need help."

"Okay," I said and followed Tank out of the meeting room and into the elevator.

In the break room, I found Cal, Junior and Vince bent over a map of Trenton, circling sections in different colors.

"Hey, guys," I greeted them, wedging myself between Junior and Cal to take a closer look. "Do you need any help?"

"Uh, no thanks, Bomber," Junior said, giving me an awkward one armed hug.

"Yeah, we should be good," Vince said.

"All right. I'll let you get back to work," I said.

Wandering around, I found a couple more clusters of Merry Men, all looking very busy, but none of them needed any help. And every time, I kept getting hugs and looks of pity. It was almost like they were afraid to have me around, afraid that I'd suddenly break down. What they didn't realize was that I wasn't going to break down. I'd decided during the meeting to be strong and so far I'd done well. I was going to be the kind of woman that could handle Ranger and he was going to have to learn to accept that.

After about the fifth time I got turned down, I gave up trying to be of any help. The Merry Men were not taking any chance of being stuck with an emotional female. Apparently that was one situation they weren't trained to handle.

Instead, I rambled around the fifth floor for about a quarter of an hour, not taking much in, before I found myself facing the door to Ranger's office. I placed one hand flat against it and another on the handle, but I didn't go in.

I turned to my left, and in a few steps was in front of Tank's office.

Poking my head in, I found him on the phone. I just about turned to leave, when I saw him hold up a finger telling me he'd only be a minute.

"Thank you," he was saying. "We'll keep you posted and let us know if anything comes up on your end."

When he hung up the phone, I dropped myself in a chair and gave him a questioning look.

"Detective Catori," he said by way of explanation.

Catori was a detective who had worked cases involving Harper a few times and had been keeping an eye out since he'd started missing parole meetings. With any luck he'd be able to help us turn something up.

"Has he found anything?"

"No, but now that I reported Ranger as a missing person and Harper's a suspect in a kidnapping, Catori won't have his hands tied so much by legal issues."

"That's good," I said before remembering why I'd come in here. "Do you have anything I can do? None of the guys seem to want me around."

"Bomber, it's not that they don't want you around. They just don't know what to do when they can see you're hurting.

"But,--" I said before Tank held up a hand.

"No 'buts.' You're doing great at staying strong, but we can see you're just hanging on. We big, tough army men aren't any good with emotional shit. Especially emotional women."

"I'll do my best not to get emotional, if you just find something for me to do," I said, with my best attempt at my usual attitude.

"I'm making calls now to a bunch of contacts we have on the streets, calling in favors. They're going to need to hear from me specifically. You could run some searches for me. I got some names from one of my calls, but I think the guy just wanted me off his back. They're still worth looking into."

"Sure," I said holding out my hand for the list. Tank didn't sound hopeful about this helping us, so the searches were basically only a step above busy work, but they needed to be done. And I wanted to do anything to help the process along.

In my cubicle, I booted up my computer and opened up the standard programs I'd become so familiar with. I put the first name in and immediately crossed it off the list. The guy had died three months ago. I was _really_ hoping he didn't know where Ranger was.

The rest of the names on the list required some more work and I turned up what I thought could be some leads. That was something Tank would have to deal with, though. No way did I want to go talking to any of these guys.

Feeling like I had actually accomplished something, I printed off results for the last name on the list and added it to the file I'd made up. My stomach growled in protest as I left my cubicle in search of Tank and I checked the time. It was already past ten.

I couldn't believe that only a few hours ago Ranger and I had been having dinner with his parents and Abuela Rosa.

Pushing those thoughts away, I poked my head into Tank's office.

"All done," I said. "Have you found anything?"

"We haven't located him, but we have more information than we did a couple hours ago."

I did my best not to let my disappointment show and asked about the new info.

"Well, Lester went to meet his contact, but the guy didn't show. Either Harper got to him or he spooked. Either way, it means Harper's been making waves and we can use that to track him down."

"Have you had any luck so far?"

"Not yet. Lester just got back a little while ago and he's working on a team to decide where to look next. Your searches should help them out."

"Anything else?" I asked. I really hoped that one absent contact wasn't all we had.

"The results came back from the darts the guys picked up from the scene. They were hit with sodium thiopental"

"And?" I asked. I had no idea if that was supposed to mean something to me.

"It's a short-acting general anesthetic that can take affect in under a minute. It's also the first of a three drug sequence used in lethal injection."

"What?" I gasped. Ranger had been injected with something lethal?

"It's not the lethal part," Tank said quickly. "It's a sedative. The dose given in lethal injection is very high. So high that one dose would have been enough to easily take out three or four average RangeMan sized guys."

"What's that mean about finding Harper?" I asked. "He was in a New Jersey prison and Jersey doesn't use the death penalty."

"True. But a check to his prison records showed he had a breakdown while there. The prison hospital he was sent to was in Pennsylvania where they do use the death penalty. We're not saying that's how he came by the drugs, but I sent some guys to check it out."

"What are-" I started to ask another question, but my stomach growled loudly reminding me I was due for a snack.

"We don't really know much else, Bomber. Why don't you go upstairs, take a shower, order some dinner and get some sleep. Not much is happening and we're going to have a long day tomorrow. I promise to wake you if anything comes up."

I was about to protest but cut myself off with a yawn. Tank was right. I needed to get some sleep. Being strong was physically and emotionally draining. And I needed to stay strong for Ranger.

"Okay," I agreed. "But only if you promise to come get me."

"I promise. Now get going."

I didn't need much more convincing before I headed to the elevator and keyed my way to the seventh floor.

oOoOoOoOoOo

A/N: Thanks again for reading, and please review, I appreciate any and all feedback!


	22. Chapter 21

_I still don't own anything and I'm not making any money. Thanks again to Haleigh and Harmne for proofreading for me, you ladies make a world of difference! And thank you all for reading… please enjoy!_

**What Happens in Vegas**

**Chapter 21**

I was about to protest but cut myself off with a yawn. Tank was right. I needed to get some sleep. Being strong was physically and emotionally draining. And I needed to stay strong for Ranger.

"Okay," I agreed. "But only if you promise to come get me."

"I promise. Now get going."

I didn't need much more convincing before I headed to the elevator and keyed my way to the seventh floor.

oOoOoOoOoOo

I was good until I made it into the bedroom. I'd walked straight through the apartment, planning to change into a pair of sweats before calling Ella for my snack. It wasn't until I unconsciously grabbed one of Ranger's hoodies that I broke into tears and sank to the closet floor, hugging it to my chest.

Trying to stop myself, I pulled in a deep, shuddering breath and caught a hint of Bulgari. That did me in. The emotions I'd been trying to control since I'd heard Ranger was taken finally took over.

I cried until my head hurt and still couldn't stop. The only thing I could do was bury my face deeper in the soft, black fabric of Ranger's sweatshirt and wish it were on his chest, rather than the closet floor.

I don't know how long I stayed like that, I didn't care. I lost all track of time until I sensed someone sink to the floor beside me and felt a hand run gently over my shoulder.

"Poor dear," I heard, causing me to lift my head.

"Ella?" I choked.

"I'm here," she said, helping me into a sitting position and cradling me against her like a child.

She let me cry, holding me to her, until I'd calmed to the occasional hiccough.

"How'd you know?" I asked when I finally pulled away. I wasn't ready to talk about _why_ I was crying yet.

"Tank called to ask how you were when I brought you a snack. He was going to come and check on you when I said you hadn't called me, but I told him I'd take care of it."

"Thank you," I said. I didn't want Tank to see the shape I was in.

"You're very welcome, dear. Now, you needed something to eat?"

"I don't think I'm hungry any more."

My stomach had different ideas and let out another low rumble before Ella gave me a small smile.

"I have a fresh chocolate cake in my apartment. Why don't you come down and try a piece."

"You sure? I'm not going to be good company."

"That's all right. Louis is helping the boys, so I'm all on my own tonight."

oOoOoOoOo

I'd never been in Ella's apartment, but as soon as I set foot inside I felt a calm wash over me. It was warm and homey. Just what I needed to soothe my raw nerves until I had Ranger to soothe them for me.

"Make yourself at home while I get us some cake. Then we can talk or relax. Whatever you want."

Ella disappeared towards the kitchen and I began wandering around trying to distract myself. On the table by the couch I found a collection of pictures and sat down to check them out. In one, two young men were holding each other in a head-lock. There was a picture of one of them in an army uniform and a picture of the other on his wedding day. Beside that, was a picture of a smiling baby.

"Is this your family?" I asked when I heard Ella come back.

She handed me the most delicious looking slice of cake I'd ever laid eyes on before answering. "Yes, those are my boys, Louie and Ted. Louie went into the Army like his father. Ted's married and works for RangeMan Boston. The little angel beside him is my very first grandchild."

"She's adorable," I said.

We chatted like this while we ate, but eventually Ella took my empty plate off to the kitchen and I was filled with a sense of dread. I'd come down here for a snack and didn't want to leave. I didn't want to go back to the empty apartment where I'd be bombarded with Ranger form every direction.

"It will help to talk," Ella said, coming and sitting beside me again.

I've never been a big fan of talking about my feelings. I've always preferred to bottle them up or just let things explode. But Ella's calm presence had me confessing before I realized what I was doing.

"I just feel so lost. I wanted to be strong, to be the kind of woman that could handle Ranger's life."

"And you have been."

"No I wasn't. I broke down and cried. I gave in to useless emotions."

"Not crying isn't what makes you strong. I learned that lesson a long time ago. Louis was in the Special Forces before he got hurt and had to retire. I cried every time he left on another mission."

"I don't understand," I said.

"You love a man who leads a dangerous life," Ella said, stopping to give me a chance to deny her statement. I didn't. I couldn't do it any longer, so she went on. "Being strong means supporting him, helping him and accepting him. Loving him means you worry. It means you hurt when something bad happens. But the love I have with my husband is worth it, and I think the love you and Ranger have is too."

"How do I convince him?" I whispered.

"I think you're going to need time. You need to give Ranger the time to see what's right in front of his face. You may have never noticed, but he's a very stubborn man."

I let out a laugh at that and smiled a bit. "He's not that bad," I defended.

"No, he's not," Ella agreed.

We lapsed into silence after that and a glance at the clock showed it was nearing midnight. I realized Ella probably had to get up early to start taking care of the RangeMen and I felt a wave of guilt wash over me.

"I should go," I said. I still didn't think I wanted to go upstairs again, but I couldn't keep Ella up all night.

"Are you sure you'll be all right, dear?"

"Yes," I said, but I didn't even convince myself.

"Remember, it's okay to need someone to lean on. You're welcome to stay here if you want."

"Really?" I asked before I could stop myself.

"Of course. I think I even have some of your clothes, freshly washed, in the laundry room."

"Ella, you're a saint," I said, before following her to get a pair of my sleep shorts and a tank top to sleep in.

"No, I'm just a woman who's been where you are now. If I can help you through it and see you and Ranger happy, it will be well worth it."

That restarted the waterworks as I followed her to the laundry room, but I wiped the tears away before I accepted my pajamas and followed Ella to her guest room. Someday, I would seriously have to talk to her about adopting me…

oOoOoOoOoOo

'Ranger must have already left for his run and let me sleep,' I thought when I woke up and didn't feel him beside me.

I was rolling towards his side of the bed to grab his pillow before drifting off again when I realized something wasn't right. The sheets were wrong and the smell was wrong and I could hear cooking noises from outside.

Then I remembered what happened. I snapped my eyes open, jumped out of bed and was out of the room in an instant. I found Ella in the kitchen, humming and cooking, but she turned when she heard me enter.

"Good morning, dear. Did you sleep all right?"

"Yes. Have you heard anything?"

"They haven't found him. I was just making breakfast to take to the boys in the control room. They've been working in shifts all night. Why don't you go take a shower and have something to eat before going with me. I put your basket of clothes in your room and brought some of your makeup and bathroom things from upstairs."

"Uh, yeah," I said, unable to think of a better plan. "Thanks for taking care of everything."

"It's what I do best," Ella said with a smile.

I was turning to the bathroom to take a quick shower when I had a thought.

"What about Rex? I didn't feed him last night!"

"I took care of him when I went to get your things. You worry about Ranger right now and let me take care of the rest."

"Thank you," I said again with sincerity and continued on to the bathroom.

I took what may have been the shortest shower in the history of my life before pulling on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and swiping on some mascara.

When I was done, I hurried back out to the kitchen to find Ella still cooking.

"This is the last batch of bacon, so why don't you grab a plate and eat before I load everything up to take to the boys."

The smell in the kitchen alone had my stomach rumbling in anticipation so I broke down and had breakfast instead of rushing straight to the control room.

I ate quickly, so I was done just as Ella was finishing up with her cart.

We took the elevator to the fifth floor and separated as Ella headed towards the break room and I went straight to the control room. It didn't take me long to realize that's where all the guys were.

I heard someone speaking as I got closer to the door, but realized it was a recording when I heard the background noise. Tank was standing on the edge of the group, so I started to ask what was going on when he signaled me to be quiet.

"Lester had another meet early this morning," he whispered. "He says he got something. Listen."

"_I don't have all day," _I heard Lester's voice say. _"Have you heard anything about Ranger Manoso or Blake Harper?"_

"_Sure have,"_ said a sneering voice that gave me the type of shivers I usually associate with Vinnie.

"_Wanna share?"_

"_Not really. But I could be convinced."_

"_How much convincing are we talking?"_

"_Don't know. It's sounding like things could get real dangerous for people snitching about Harper. So I think we're talking at least enough to get me safely out of the state."_

"_How's that?" _I heard Lester ask and guessed he'd handed the guy money. _"It's enough to get you out of the country, now talk."_

"_Looks like you really want this information. I may need some more convincing."_

I heard a click that sounded suspiciously like the safety of a gun being removed before Lester's voice was heard again. _"Talk."_

"_Fine, fine. No need to get like that, you can't blame a guy for trying,"_ I heard and could almost picture the guy backing off. _"I saw Harper in a bar the other night."_

"_Which bar?"_

"_Mick's, down on Sloan. I wouldn't usually talk to the guy, but he owed me some money before he got put away, so I thought I'd go over and start up a business meeting. Bastard was drunk out of his mind though and going on and on about how he was going to get Manoso. Said he was going to take him out, but not before he got to Manoso's woman and had some fun with her."_

The guy said all of this like he thought it was funny. It made me sick. It reminded me that Ranger was in Harper's control and had been for an entire night. I couldn't listen to any more.

I walked away from the control room and leaned against a wall before sinking to the floor. I rested my head on my knees and focused on not breaking down right now.

"You okay, Bomber?" I heard as an arm wrapped around my shoulders.

I recognized Lester's voice and turned my head to look at him.

"I will be."

"You know we're not going to let anything happen to you, right?"

"But Ranger…" I'm not sure what I wanted to say so I trailed off.

"Yeah, he got himself into a mess. But think of it this way, when we get him back, you can be the one to give him a hard time about being more aware of his surroundings."

I must have given a little sob in response because Lester pulled me closer and rested my head on his shoulder before rocking us slightly. We stayed like that for a few minutes until the guys came pouring out of the control room. We were on our feet by the time they got to us and Lester got a bunch of back slaps and 'good job man's. It made me wonder what I'd missed.

"You didn't miss that much, Bombshell, and it's nothing definite. The guy just heard some more of Harper's drunken ramblings. Heard him talking about having the perfect place to take Ranger that was outside the city and where we, 'the goons', couldn't find him, but he could still keep his eye on you."

"So we know he's close."

"And we know he's been planning this. It sounded like he was proud of his plan, so probably he won't change it easily either. I doubt he remembers blabbing to our snitch."

"That's good?"

"Yeah, that's good. Now we're going to try to figure out what the plan was and force him into doing things that weren't in it."

But six hours later, we weren't any closer to figuring out Harpers plan and we hadn't found Ranger. I was about ready to go crazy, I felt so helpless. We weren't getting anywhere.

The guys who had gone to Pennsylvania to check out the prison Harper had stayed in there hadn't had any luck. They'd talked to the warden about the chances that Harper had gotten the sodium thiopental he'd used on Ranger and the guys while there, but hadn't had much luck with that either. Inventory records showed that the prison was one vial of the drug short, but the warden's response was 'stuff happens and things go missing.' He'd been of the opinion that Harper was in no shape to be stealing drugs or finding accomplices during his stay there.

Tank had cursed a blue streak when he heard that report. He'd also decided that if that was still our only lead by morning, he'd go and talk to the Warden himself. By the look on his face, I wouldn't have wanted to be the warden if Tank found out anything new.

We'd also refocused our physical search. Before, we'd been searching the city of Trenton. From the information Lester had gotten, though, it sounded like Harper was holding Ranger outside of the city, but close. We'd started a search for any residencies listed to Harper or any family members or friends within a fifty mile radius. So far we hadn't had any luck.

By dinner time, it was obvious I wasn't the only one beyond frustrated. We had nothing. Tank had decided to move up his deadline and go to PA tonight. He was taking Bobby and Junior. I was still begging to go along when Cal walked into the room where they were getting suited up.

"Uh, a package just arrived for Bomber. We scanned it for bombs but it's clean. You wanna come check it out?" He addressed all of this to Tank and I almost got angry over it. I just didn't have the energy any more though. So, I followed Tank and the guys to the break-room where a nondescript brown box was sitting on the table.

oOoOoOoOoOo

A/N: Thanks for reading, please review! I love getting feedback and hearing what you think…


	23. Chapter 22

_I don't own them and I'm not making any money. Also, thanks to everyone who's been reading and for all of the nice reviews and thanks Haleigh for proofreading for me! _

**What Happens in Vegas**

**Chapter 22**

_By dinner time, it was obvious I wasn't the only one beyond frustrated. We had nothing. Tank had decided to move up his deadline and go to PA tonight. He was taking Bobby and Junior. I was still begging to go along when Cal walked into the room where they were getting suited up._

"_Uh, a package just arrived for Bomber. We scanned it for bombs but it's clean. You wanna come check it out?" He addressed all of this to Tank and I almost got angry over it. I just didn't have the energy any more though. So, I followed Tank and the guys to the break-room where a nondescript brown box was sitting on the table._

oOoOoOoOo

"You can open it or I can," Tank said, interrupting my stare down with the box.

"I'll do it," I said, but didn't make any immediate moves towards the box.

It was from Harper, I knew that. I also knew that I didn't want to see what was inside. But what was inside may help us find Ranger, so I was going to look.

Finally convincing myself with promises of finding Ranger, I nodded my head and stepped towards the table. Half of the RangeMen were in the room now, watching. From the corner of my eye, I registered someone handing me a pair of scissors to open the box and I took them without looking away from it.

I held my breath as I sliced the tape. I had heard Cal say that the box was clean, but I still moved slowly, almost as if I still expected the box to explode. When I finally had the tape cut, I shut my eyes and lifted the flaps that held it closed. I didn't hear anything and none of the guys made a sound so I cracked one eye open.

There was a note, addressed to me, lying on a bed of packing peanuts.

We were already pretty certain we were looking for Harper, so I picked up the letter not worrying about contaminating it with prints.

_Darling, or maybe I should say Babe,_

_I'm sure you've guessed by now that I've got your husband. In case you're actually worried about him, don't be, he's fine. Or would be if he'd cooperate. You know it's you that I want, I only wanted to punish him first for taking you from me. I'm willing to trade, you for him. Meet me at your old apartment tonight at midnight, and I know it's cliché, but come alone. _

_And another thing, tell your husband's goons to stop looking for me or I'll cut off something that won't grow back._

_Until tonight,_

_Blake_

I immediately dropped the letter and turned, intending to go straight to my apartment. Instead, I turned straight into Tank who had been reading over my shoulder.

"Don't even think about little girl," he said, wrapping his arms around me so tightly I couldn't move.

I was still struggling against him when I heard a muttered curse from one of the other guys.

I stilled and slowly turned so I could see the table again. Bobby was standing beside the box. The first thing that I noticed was that there were packing peanuts spilled all over the table. Next, I noticed what Bobby was holding. It was unmistakably Ranger's ponytail, still bound with the leather tie he always uses.

I felt nausea wash over me as Harper's line about cutting off something that wouldn't grow back flashed through my mind and I turned back to Tank.

"Tank, please let me go." 

"No."

"Tank, please. I'm going to be sick."

He quickly unwrapped his arms and I ran for the trashcan, making it just in time.

When I stood up straight again, I saw all of the RangeMen watching me. They were looking at me like I was a bomb that was about to go off and I realized they thought I was going to cry.

Instead, I walked back over to Tank and stood in front of him.

"I'm going," was all I said.

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am. I can make my own decisions. If you want, you can give me a tracker, but that's it. Just don't come get me until you have Ranger."

"Bombshell, I'm not letting you out of this building. Ranger wouldn't want you to do this for him and I'm not going to let you."

That did it. I exploded. I wasn't crying, though, I was yelling.

"What about Scrog! It's all right for Ranger to put himself in danger, to almost sacrifice his life for me, but I can't do the same for him?"

Lester and Bobby had cleared the room by now, so it was just them and Tank with me.

"Bombshell," Lester said, carefully coming near me. "I don't think Ranger could handle it if something happened to you. He let you in and it terrifies him. He loves you."

"And you think I don't feel the same way?" I whispered.

They were all silent for a while after that and then Tank nodded.

"We're going after Harper tonight. We have to come up with a plan and you're in if you want to be."

I started to speak and he held up a hand.

"But we're not using you as bait. The minute I think you're gonna run, I'm handcuffing you in Ella's apartment."

I shot him a pissy look, but didn't argue. I knew this was the best I was going to get and that Tank wasn't making idle threats.

"Let's get moving, then," Bobby said, interrupting Tank and my staring contest. "Harper should be at Steph's at midnight. That only gives us about five hours to make a plan, get set up and get in position."

That got the guys going and before I knew it I was sitting in a meeting room. All of the guys were present and Tank was about to get under way when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," Tank barked, and I could swear I saw some hope on his face.

The blank mask slid firmly back into place when Detective Catori and Morelli walked into the room.

"I hope you're here to tell us you found something."

"Nothing definite," Catori said. "We found a dead dealer on Stark this morning. That's nothing out of the ordinary, but we also picked up a junkie who claims to have witnessed the murder. He's in withdrawal now and talking pretty freely. His description of the killer matched Harper, so we showed him a picture and got an ID."

"Got a name on the dealer?" Lester asked.

"Donnie Jones," Morelli said. "Why?"

"He was supposed to meet me last night, but he never showed. He was saying he had info on Harper."

"Would this be something that wasn't in his plan?" I asked Tank, remembering that we were watching for Harper to make a move he wasn't counting on and hopefully slip up.

"Yes it is, Bomber," Tank said and then gave me a warning look.

My ESP must have been working, because I realized he was warning me not to bring up the package and note we'd gotten this evening. He must think things are going to get legally gray.

The detectives didn't have much else to fill us in on. They had apparently been in out neighborhood and decided to stop in instead of calling. I appreciated the sentiment, but I could tell the guys weren't appreciating having the cops around when we were limited on time.

"Cupcake, can I talk to you for a minute," Joe asked when they were finally leaving.

I agreed and followed him and Catori to the garage. Catori wandered around, checking out the different cars, giving us some privacy.

"How're you holding up?" Joe asked after a minute.

"Okay, I guess."

"Right. Now tell me the truth."

"Most of the time it just doesn't seem real that this could happen to Ranger," I said.

"He is just a man, Steph," Joe said gently.

"I know." I didn't know how to explain that he was still my hero. And I didn't think Joe would appreciate hearing that.

I came out of my thoughts when I heard Joe swear softly. "Manoso's an idiot. If he can't see the way you look at him, he doesn't deserve you."

I must have crinkled my brow at that because Joe chuckled and pulled me to him. "You're one in a million, Cupcake. I guess I finally get that you're not the one for me."

"I'm sorry, Joe," I said. I really did love him.

"Me too. But better we figured it out now before it's too late."

"Yeah," I agreed.

Joe just held me for a minute after that and I relaxed in the comfort and familiarity of his arms. It felt good but it wasn't what I needed any more.

"I better go," he finally said. "We are on camera. I don't want your husband coming after me later."

"I'll protect you," I said before letting go and turning serious. "Thank you."

"You're always welcome." We both knew I was thanking him for more than the hug. I was thanking him for his support and for letting me go.

I watched him and Catori pull out of the garage before heading back upstairs. When I made it to the control room I found the guys looking busy, but I had a feeling that a few minutes ago they'd been watching me on the monitors.

"You two all right?" Tank asked when I finally found him, confirming my theory.

"Yeah. For the first time in our history, I think Morelli and I are on the same page."

"And, just to be clear… What page is that?"

"The one that says we'd never work out."

Tank cracked a smile at that. Only for a second, but I swear I saw it. "So, you ready to find your husband?"

"Hell, yes."

"Good. While you got rid of the cops, the boys and I came up with a plan."

"That was quick." I'd only been down in the garage for about fifteen minutes.

Tank shrugged and began to explain.

"We're going to keep making him mad. He sent a note, so we leave a note for him to find in your apartment. We make a counter-threat. He'll be angry, not focused and we can follow him back to where he's holding Ranger. After that, it's a simple extraction."

"That simple?"

"We hope."

"What am I going to do?"

"Right now, I want you to write the note. I don't think he's expecting you to be defiant. Just use all of that natural ability of yours to tick off psychos."

I rolled my eyes and thought about making a smart ass comment but headed for my cubicle instead. I started thinking while I waited for my computer to boot up. I'd received lots of notes from stalkers, but I'd never sent one. I didn't know what to say and couldn't think of anything I knew for sure would tick off Harper. In the end, I decided to keep is short and sweet with a dose of my Burg attitude.

Opening a word document, I began to type.

_Harper,_

_By now you've realized I'm not playing your game. I want my husband back and I want him unharmed. You have until dawn to deliver him to me or I'm coming to get him. And if you cut anything else off, I'll cut off yours._

_Stephanie Manoso_

I printed the note off and went to find Tank. He quickly read it over and handed me a pen, telling me to hand write it to make it more personal. I did, and then handed it over to Tank again.

"Now what?" I asked.

"We drop the note off. It's unlikely, but Harper may be watching your apartment, so you should be the one to actually drop the note off."

I tried to quirk an eyebrow at that and failed. Tank just smirked before explaining.

"We don't want to alert him. But don't think for a second I won't be watching you. You'll be wearing a mike, earpiece, tracking device and panic button."

"Overkill much?"

"Nope. I fully intend to get Ranger back tonight. I don't want to bring him back just to have him kill me for getting you hurt."

oOoOoOoOo

A/N: Sorry this is short, but school's busy and for some reason my professors keep giving me work :) Anyway, I figured something was better than nothing! Please review and let me know what you thought!


	24. Chapter 23

_I don't own anything and I'm not making any money. Also, a big thanks to Haleigh.l for her help editing, I really appreciate it. And thanks to everyone who's been reading and reviewing!_

**What Happens in Vegas **

**Chapter 23**

"_Now what?" I asked. _

"_We drop the note off. It's unlikely, but Harper may be watching your apartment, so you should be the one to actually drop the note off."_

_I tried to quirk an eyebrow at that and failed. Tank just smirked before explaining. _

"_We don't want to alert him. But don't think for a second I won't be watching you. You'll be wearing a mike, earpiece, tracking device and panic button."_

"_Overkill much?"_

"_Nope. I fully intend to get Ranger back tonight. I don't want to bring him back just to have him kill me for getting you hurt." _

oOoOoOoOo

I rolled my eyes at Tank. He was wiring me with more electronics than an entertainment center but I wasn't going to hold us up by arguing. "When are we going?"

"It's a little after eight, so we should get moving soon. I sent some guys to get in position around your apartment, but out of sight. You'll drive one of Ranger's cars over as soon as I hear from them."

"Then what?"

"Leave the note somewhere obvious. Then lay low for about half an hour. If you leave immediately it will look suspicious, might provoke him to attack. Wait and make it look like you're going on an ice cream run."

"Then?"

"Then we watch and wait."

I rolled my eyes again. Everyone at RangeMan knew that waiting was not my strong suit. I was just about to smack Tank for looking amused when his phone rang.

I tried listening in, but he has the same phone skills as Ranger. All I got was 'Yo,' and 'be there in twenty.'

"What's up?" I asked when he'd flipped his phone shut and clipped it back to his belt.

"The guys are in position. We're moving out."

I turned towards the elevator, ready to head to the garage, but Tank grabbed me by the back of my shirt.

"Not so fast. We still need to get you wired."

I followed Tank to a supply closet off of the control room and waited impatiently while he gathered what he needed. After a minute, he turned around and held out a supply of gadgets.

I grabbed the panic button first and activated it before slipping it onto my pocket. Next I took the wire and turned my back to Tank while I slipped it under my shirt and clipped it to my bra. When I turned around, I just stared at the tracker and ear piece. I'd never used those.

"The tracker's activated remotely from the control center," Tank said, after I had continued staring for a long minute. "And the ear piece is already set to the frequency we'll be using; all you have to do is turn it on. You'll begin hearing when we start transmitting."

"Okay," I said sticking the tracker in my pocket with the panic button and then picking up the ear piece. I turned it over in my hand for a minute and then found the small button to turn it on. Giving it a last look, I pushed it into my ear and was surprised that I could barely feel it.

"One more thing," Tank said and held out a Glock like the one I'd used while working for RangeMan.

I knew there would be no arguing, so I took it and gingerly dropped it in my bag.

Tank gave me a nod and left the closet, heading for the elevator. I caught up while he was waiting for the car, and then we made our way down to the garage silently.

In the garage, though, I looked around a bit awkwardly.

"Um, which car do I take?" I asked.

"Which do you want?"

"You're sure I have to take one of Ranger's cars?"

"Bombshell," Tank said in what may have been exasperation before heading to the key cabinet on the wall.

When he came back to where I was, he picked up my hand and dropped a set of keys in it before pointing to the Turbo.

And my eyes went wide. "I can't drive the Turbo! What if something happens to it?"

"I don't think Ranger will mind if we get him back. Now get going."

I had another moment of internal debate before I gave in and got in the car. I wanted to find Ranger and I figured this fell under his 'cars aren't important, people are' theory.

That settled, I turned over the engine and listened to it purr to life. I love this car.

The trip across town to my apartment went more quickly than I would have liked. Before I knew it, I was pulling into my lot and because I was driving Ranger's car I got a parking space right by the door. Life isn't fair.

I shut off the engine and moved to open the door but couldn't do it. I suddenly felt tendrils of fear curling in my stomach. What if Harper was upstairs waiting for me? What if he'd left Ranger for dead now that he was focusing on me… or worse left him in my apartment? It was that thought that finally made me move. I needed to do this to get to Ranger.

I took the elevator so I couldn't chicken out and turn around. When the doors opened I took the handful of steps to my apartment hesitantly, reminding myself that they guys were only a button push away. I got the door unlocked and carefully pulled out the gun Tank had given me before pushing it open.

By the time I'd cleared my apartment, I felt a little silly about my SWAT impression. Every room had been empty and not a dust bunny had been disturbed. I was just glad no one saw me and I'd have to hope the guys couldn't tell what I was doing by the sound.

"_Everything clear_?" I suddenly heard through my ear piece, making me jump.

"Shit! Les, don't do that to me!"

"_Sorry, Bomber. So, is everything clear?_"

"Yeah. I'm just going to leave the note on the table, watch some Ghostbusters and I'll be out in a bit."

"_All right. Remember, we're out here if you need us_."

"Thanks."

I felt a little awkward ending our conversation and moving around my apartment, knowing that the guys were still in my head, but I didn't really know what to talk about. Giving my head a shake, I pulled the letter I'd written to Harper out of my bag and tossed it on the table where he'd be sure to see it. Just in case, though, I pulled a tablet and marker from my junk drawer and wrote 'HARPER' in bold letters with an arrow pointing at the note.

That done, I settled into my couch and started Ghostbusters. I heard a few groans come over my ear piece, but I tuned them out as I got into the movie. I actually managed to watch the whole thing without getting freaked out, but once it was over I realized I wanted out of my apartment.

I glanced at the clock in my kitchen and saw that it was about quarter after ten… dangerously close to Harper's midnight meeting time. The idea that he could be watching had me spooked.

Somehow, I managed to get my bag and calmly make my way out to the Turbo before driving away. I did notice that my speed increased as I got closer and closer to RangeMan and I didn't relax until I saw the gate slide closed behind me.

"Great job, little girl," Tank said, wrapping me in a hug as I climbed out of the car. "You managed to hang in there for good amount of time."

"Ghostbusters has always been my denial movie," I said with a weak laugh.

It must not have fooled Tank because he squeezed me a bit tighter for a minute before walking me to the elevator. "I have orders to send you to Ella when you get back. I think she made you comfort food."

I smiled at that. I could use some sugar and Ella care.

Tank dropped me off on the sixth floor and moments after I knocked on the apartment door, Ella had it open.

"Welcome back, dear. I hear you may be getting Ranger back."

"I hope so," I said as Ella led me into the kitchen and sat me at the table.

"And are you going to tell him how you feel?"

I felt my eyes go wide. I'd been so focused on getting Ranger back and dealing with my clarified feelings that I hadn't even thought about telling him about them.

Ella just laughed when she noticed the look on my face. "Don't worry about it now. There will be plenty of time for that later."

"Uh, yeah," was my brilliant response.

After that, we chatted about nonsensical things and I realized that Ella had all of the RangeMan gossip imaginable. She told me all about Hal's sister's new baby and that the minor system crash we'd had the other day was really caused by a spilled drink in the control room. She was telling me all about the girl Lester had been out with three times (a long term commitment for him) when my cell rang with Tank's name on the caller ID.

"What happened?" I asked, skipping a greeting.

"Harper showed."

I felt my breath catch and flicked my eyes to the clock. It was only twenty after eleven. "And?" I asked.

"He's sitting in white Saturn outside your building. You want to get down to control? We're going to get in position."

"Yeah. See you in a minute," I said and hung up.

"Harper's at my building," I told Ella.

"Then your plan is working," she said and hugged me again before herding me out the door. "Good luck."

"Thanks," I said over my shoulder as I headed for the elevator.

The trip down one floor was one of the longest in my life and for once I was wishing I'd taken the stairs. When the doors finally opened I flew out of them and into the control room before skidding to a halt in front of Tank.

"You have Harper?"

"Yeah. He's under surveillance. Let's get you geared up and go join the guys watching him."

I quickly put the equipment I'd worn at my apartment back on, as well as a vest, and tried not to focus in on the fluttery feelings in my stomach. I was terrified and excited all at the same time. Ranger had only been gone a little over twenty four hours, but that was a lot of time for nervous energy to build up. And now it was trying to get out.

"Who's watching my apartment?" I asked Tank, trying to distract myself from my nerves as we headed down to the garage.

"Bobby and Lester in one Explorer and Junior and Vince in another."

"And what will we be doing?"

"They're watching him sit in his car right now. We'll go park in the alley across from your lot where we'll be in good position to follow him if he leaves."

By the time he was done answering, we were loading into the Explorer and I knew that was the end of the conversation. Tank was in his zone.

The trip to my apartment took _forever_. And we didn't even hit any red lights. I'd tipped my head back and closed my eyes, trying to find my own zone but was about to give it up as hopeless when I felt the SUV come to a stop and the engine shut off.

Snapping my eyes open, I realized we were parked across from my apartment building, hidden in the shadows of another building.

I was about to ask a question when I heard a voice over my earpiece for the first time. "_He's on the move," _Lester said.

I scanned my lot, and sure enough, I saw a shadowy figure creeping towards the front door. It was only quarter of twelve, so I guess he got impatient or was planning on surprising me.

We waited for about ten minutes, during which I grew increasingly tense, before Harper came storming out of my apartment building.

"_Guess he got the message_," I heard Vince say over the mike.

"Bombshell and I will follow him," Tank said in response. "Lester, Bobby, I want you to follow us at an safe distance. Drop back if we approach a rural area. Vince, Junior, you watch our GPS signal and follow ten minutes behind."

"_Yes, sir_," I heard chorus through my ear piece.

And then Tank was turning over the engine of the SUV and we were pulling out after Harper. Traffic wasn't light, but we still had to stay a safe distance behind Harper's vehicle and I felt my stomach drop every time he went around a corner. We were so close to finding Ranger. I'd go crazy if we lost him now.

Tank's tailing skills were thankfully far superior to mine, though, and we didn't lose Harper as we followed him out of Trenton and into suburbia. Just when I was completely lost among all the cookie cutter houses, we came to a stop.

Harper was pulling into the garage of a beige house across the street and about four houses down from where we were parked. I immediately reached for my door handle, ready to go in guns blazing. But the door wouldn't open so I rounded on Tank.

"You safety locked me in?" I said, guessing that he's engaged the child safety locks.

"Hell yeah. We've come too far for me to risk letting you get hurt now. We need to wait for the rest of the team."

"But Ranger," I said before Tank pressed a finger to my lips silencing me.

"Has been in there for over twenty four hours now and we want to extract him in a way likely to succeed. To do that, we need a team."

"Well, where are they then?"

"Bobby and Lester are parked a block over and should be making their way to us on foot," Tank said.

"_ETA thirty seconds, man,_" Bobby's voice said through my ear piece. I kept forgetting they could hear me.

"And Vince and Junior should be arriving soon and walking to us also."

"_We're about two minutes out,_" Junior said.

"Good," Tank said and then started doing something with the SUV's navigation system so I assumed the conversation was done for now.

It probably was only half a minute before Bobby and Lester opened the back doors and climbed in. When no one said anything, I started to get antsy.

"Well? Aren't you guys going to start planning or something?"

"No," Lester said. But before I could blow up he continued. "We're waiting for the rest of the team. We'll do some recon, and then make a plan."

"Fine," I huffed. Logically I understood that they knew more about this stuff than I did, but emotionally I just wanted to go in and get Ranger out.

I waited, and waited, and waited some more, for about four minutes until Junior and Vince showed up. Since six of us wouldn't fit in the Explorer, we climbed out and stood in a huddle behind it, out of view of the house.

"So, recon," I said before clapping my hands and turning to head for the house.

But Tank snagged me by the back of my vest. He was getting a bit annoying with that little habit.

"Not quite," he said. "Bobby, Vince, check the perimeter. Look for activity, try to find out where Harper is and where Ranger is. Lester, go check for a security system and disable anything you find."

They silently blended into the night and I tuned to Tank. "And what are we doing?"

"We're waiting. Then we're going to come up with a plan."

I started out leaning against the Explorer. Then I slid down to sit on the ground. And then, I got up, bounced on the soles of my feet and decided to use the time to stretch and loosen up. Tank wasn't talking and I needed to do something to get out of my head. In there, all I could do was picture Ranger, trapped in that house with an irate Harper. It was killing me thinking what could be happening to him during the half hour we'd been waiting. I was just about to bring that up to Tank when the guys got back.

"So?" Tank asked.

"No visible activity. House appears to be mostly uninhabited other than the kitchen, which is a mess. Ranger may be on the second floor or in the basement. Harper should be assumed to be with him. No sound was coming from the house," Bobby reported.

"There was a simple burglar alarm. I disabled it and then found the electric box. It's all set up so I can have the power shut off in seconds if we need," Lester said.

"Good," Tank said. "Did you get any ideas as to how we should go in?"

"Quietly. Through the front," Bobby said. "It's empty, obviously unused. We can slip in and secure rooms as we go."

"All right. Vince, you cover the back of the house. Lester, take care of the power once we're inside and signal. Bobby, you and Junior go in first. Clear the front room and then Bomber and I will come in. Understand?"

"Yes, sir," they chorused and then Tank leveled me with a glare.

"You are going to stick by my side. Have your gun out and listen to me without hesitation."

I don't do well with orders, so I tried to lift an eyebrow. Tank just kept glaring and I eventually gave in.

"Sure."

"Good. Everyone get in position. We go on my signal."

oOoOoOoOo

A/N: Sorry that this took so long again. If it's any consolation, I promise that they'll get to Ranger next chapter! Please review and tell me what you think!


	25. Chapter 24

_I don't own anything and I'm not making any money… Thank you all for reading and thanks for all of the wonderful reviews, I appreciate all of them. And thanks Haleigh and Melody for proof reading for me! Please enjoy._

**What Happens in Vegas**

**Chapter 24**

"_Yes, sir," they chorused and then Tank leveled me with a glare._

"_You are going to stick by my side. Have your gun out and listen to me without hesitation."_

_I don't do well with orders, so I tried to lift an eyebrow. Tank just kept glaring and I eventually gave in._

"_Sure."_

"_Good. Everyone get in position. We go on my signal."_

oOoOoOo

I felt a wave of adrenaline and relief course through me. After hours of waiting, I couldn't believe we were actually doing this. We were going to get Ranger. He'd only been gone since dinner the day before, but it felt like we'd been looking for him for days.

Once we were actually moving, things happened quickly. Lester and Vince got in position at the back of the house. They would come in once we cleared everything or Tank called them. Then, Bobby and Junior started moving. They were going in first and Tank and I were following them. When they finally made it to the house, we moved.

Tank and I approached from the left, creeping up on the front of the house. I could see the guys picking the lock on the front door, but by the time we made it to the porch they were already in side. '_Front clear' _I heard Bobby say softly through my ear piece, and Tank and I went in.

True to my promise, I stayed behind Tank and stuck close. Now that we were in action, I felt oddly calm. I could hear the guys clearing rooms and could see Tank walking around, gun first, but I wasn't really registering any of it. I was just waiting for them to say I could go to Ranger.

Within minutes of entering the house, we all met up in the kitchen and stood facing the door that led to the basement. We knew Harper was in the house and we'd cleared every other room. He had to be down there.

Tank and Bobby were softly discussing the best way to approach the situation when I felt a sudden urge to rip the door open and run down the stairs. But I knew I couldn't. That would put me in danger and distract the guys from Ranger.

I was still thinking along these lines when I saw Bobby reach out and slap Tank on the back.

"All right, man. We'll be right behind you," Bobby said.

"Wait. What?" I asked. Realizing they'd come up with a plan while I'd drifted off.

"I'm going down first," Tank said. "I'll give a signal and the rest of you can follow."

While he said that, he checked his gun and tightened his vest. For the first time ever, I realized Tank was nervous. He was walking into the unknown for his best friend and I was strongly reminded of the Scrog thing. Was this how Ranger felt before he came in for Julie and me?

"No, Bomber," Tank said, doing the ESP thing. "He was calmer than I'd ever seen him."

"You…" I started, but I didn't know what to say. I couldn't stop him and I couldn't help right now.

"Just, if anything happens, tell Lula… well, tell her I… Shit. Tell her I love her." For once, Tank's face wasn't blank. I could see him realizing this as he was saying it, but I could also tell that it wasn't shaking his resolve either.

"I will, big guy," I said, giving him a quick, impulsive hug. "But when you get through, you need to tell her yourself."

And that made him go pale. Not the thought of facing a madman, who was probably armed and waiting, but the thought of telling a woman he loved her.

All I could do was roll my eyes as Tank gave me a guilty smile and motioned for the rest of us to step away from the door.

We moved back and I held my breath as Tank quietly turned the door knob. He slowly pulled the door open and I grew tenser with each inch. When it was finally open, he moved and my heart began hammering in my chest. Nothing happened. Harper didn't come flying out, there were no gunshots, there was nothing.

And then I registered a muted thumping noise. I couldn't place it, but it didn't stop as Tank moved down the stairs.

He had only been out of sight for a minute when his head popped back out of the door frame.

"Bobby, get down here. Junior, stay with Steph."

I shot Tank a death glare, but didn't argue. He looked serious and I wasn't stopping him from getting to Ranger. And Junior would be easier to deal with.

As soon as Bobby had followed Tank out of view, I pulled out my stun gun and pointed it at Junior.

"I'm going," I said.

"Bombshell," he said in a pleading voice.

"I don't want to stun you," I said calmly. "I don't know what's down there and they may need your help. But if you try to touch me, I will zap you."

"_Bombshell,"_ I heard Lester's voice say through my ear piece, reminding me that they were out there.

"I'm going, Les," was all I said before brandishing my stun gun at Junior again and moving towards the stairs.

"_Stay with her,"_ I heard Les say and assumed he was talking to Junior. I didn't care. I was creeping as softly as possible downward, clutching the railing.

And what I saw nearly made me pass out.

Tank and Bobby were moving into position behind Harper. And Harper was completely oblivious to their presence because he was so absorbed in beating Ranger. He had a gun, but he was using it as a club. The muted thumping sounds I'd heard from upstairs were the sound of the butt of the gun making contact with Ranger's body.

And then Harper started screaming. He was demanding that Ranger wake up and punctuating his words with blows. The guys had frozen at the sudden sound, but then were galvanized into motion.

Within seconds, Tank had Harper unarmed and cuffed on the ground and Bobby was crouching beside Ranger. I tried to move towards them only to realize that my knees had turned to jelly and the only thing keeping me standing was Junior's arm around my waist.

"_What's going on?" _I heard Lester asking from outside and I registered Tank answering before I tuned them out.

I was completely focused on Ranger, lying crumpled and chained on the concrete floor. I willed my legs to work and pulled myself away from Junior. The trip across the small basement was one of the longest of my life, but finally I dropped to my knees beside Bobby.

I was completely focused on Ranger, taking him in. He was a mess. He face was swollen and bruised. His chest was bare, but his normally beautiful, mocha skin was a mosaic of purple and blue. And he was unconscious, or at least I was praying he was unconscious.

Bobby was still feeling for a pulse.

"It's there," he finally said and I heard sounds of relief from more than just myself.

I looked up and saw that Tank was standing behind me and the rest of the guys had joined us. Lester was on his cell and for the second I tuned in to him, I could tell he'd called 911. I tuned back out when I couldn't listen to him calmly listing Ranger's injuries.

Instead, I watched Bobby start working on Ranger. A couple of times, I reached out, wanting to give him an extra hand, or just touch Ranger, but Bobby gently stopped me. That alone told me Ranger was worse than he looked.

After an eternity, I heard the faint wail of sirens before the basement was flooded with people. Paramedics took over where Bobby was working, shooting him questions and telling me I needed to give them space. Nothing was really registering, though. All I knew was that I was being separated from Ranger again and I couldn't handle it. And then a cop was beside me asking questions, but I couldn't understand him.

Suddenly, I felt a pair of arms go around me, lift me up and hold me against a warm, muscular chest.

"She's in shock," I heard Tank's voice say through my haze.

oOoOoOoOo

I woke up warm and wrapped up against a muscular chest. For about two seconds, I let myself believe that I was back in Ranger's apartment, in his arms and that Harper was a bad dream. Then I woke up completely.

"Morning, Sleeping Beauty," I heard a voice say beside my ear.

Tilting my head up, I saw that my pillow was Lester and I was snuggled into his lap. And I realized we were in a hospital waiting room.

"How's Ranger?" I asked.

Lester was quiet just long enough for me to start panicking before he answered. "He's still in surgery."

"How long?"

"They've been working on him for about two hours."

"Did they tell you what's wrong with him?" I asked, but Lester flicked his eyes to someone else.

"You want to take this one?" he asked and I twisted to see Bobby sitting in a chair across from us and Tank beside him.

"He's pretty roughed up, Bomber," Bobby said and Les tightened his grip on me.

"But what was wrong?"

"They did X-rays and a MRI first and luckily he doesn't have any permanent damage to his head. The worst there is a broken nose. He's got a couple of broken ribs and a lot of bone bruising. He's in surgery because internal bleeding was pooling in his abdominal cavity."

I felt my eyes go wide and my world started to feel fuzzy again.

"They can fix it," Bobby said quickly. "You just missed one of the nurses coming out to tell us he wouldn't be much longer."

"So he'll be okay?" I asked. I had to be sure I'd understood everything right.

"He'll be fine. You should have seen the shape he was in after some of our missions," Lester said. "There was this one time he nearly ble—," he stopped when Tank smacked him upside the head. Guess I didn't get to hear the end of that story.

Tank must have noticed that I wasn't enjoying it. As much as I loved Ranger facts, I didn't want to hear about him being hurt while I was still worrying about him…

We were quiet for a minute before I slid off Lester's lap onto the couch beside him. I didn't go far, though. I still needed the contact.

And I needed something to do. Or eat.

"Did you guys bring my purse?" I asked.

"Yeah," Lester said and reached down beside the couch we were on, then handed me my bag.

I dug for a couple minutes, but I must have eaten my emergency stash of Snickers on my last stake out. I at least had to have a pack of mints. Maybe some Lifesavers… I was fishing my hand around that little inside pocket that collects random stuff when I felt them. Not candy, but a set of rings.

The set of rings I'd woken up with in Vegas. I'd forgotten about them with all the activity over the last few days.

Careful to keep my hands in my bag, I played with the rings. I slipped one and then the other on and off again. I didn't look at them as I thought about that morning and what had gone through my head when I first saw them. There was more disbelief than fear. I was thinking that even back then, some part of me wanted to be married to Ranger.

And then a doctor came out.

"May I speak with Mr. Manoso's next of kin?"

Lester poked my side, and I realized that was me. I jumped out of my seat, spilling my purse and shoving the rings quickly on my finger with the diamond twisted down.

By the time I'd done that and stumbled through the contents of my purse, the doctor was watching me with a smile. I was entertainment again.

"How is he?" I asked.

"He's going to be just fine. The bleeding was caused by a ruptured blood vessel, but we were able to repair it quite easily. He's going to be in quite a bit of pain for a few days, but because of his excellent health, he should recover quickly."

"Can I see him?" I asked. I heard the words the doctor was saying, but I wouldn't really believe Ranger was all right until I saw him with my own eyes.

"He's not conscious, but can have one person in his room at a time."

I flicked my eyes to the guys, wondering if one of them would want to see him, but hoping they'd let me go.

"Go on," Bobby said. "We've seen him banged up before. It's nothing special."

I shot them a smile and headed off for the room the doctor indicated.

When I pushed the door open the nurse was still getting Ranger settled in and hooked up to all the post-surgery beeping things. At least that's what it looked like. But it took me all of two seconds to realize she was copping a feel. On my husband!

I loudly cleared my throat, causing her to freeze and turn around with a guilty look. When she realized I wasn't a superior, the look was gone.

"I'm sorry," she said in a condescending voice. "This gentleman just came out of surgery. Only family is allowed and I doubt you're his sister."

"No. I'm his wife," I said, angrily twisting my rings back around and thanking God I'd slipped them on.

"Yeah, you've got a nice rock, but he's not wearing a ring and there's no wife listed on his records."

"We're newlyweds. And he was kidnapped," I said with an eye roll as I continued into the room.

I was going to see Ranger and this bitch wasn't going to stop me.

"Fine. He's a mess anyway," she said, before giving a bag of fluid one last check and sashaying out the door. Good riddance, I thought, before turning to Ranger.

"Finally," I whispered and sank into the chair beside his bed.

He _was_ a mess. But he was my mess. I must have spent half an hour just staring at him. His hands and arms were above the covers. They were covered in bruises and stuck full of needles, but the tone of his muscles was there. Even battered he looked good.

I moved up to his face and felt my heart clench a little bit. He had two black eyes and a splint on his nose. His lower lip was swollen and split. And then there was his hair. Long in the front and short in the back where Harper had sliced off the ponytail. I gently ran my fingers through it before lying my head down next to his.

"I missed you," I whispered as I carefully slid my hand under his, needing to feel him.

For a long time, I just enjoyed lying there like that. But eventually, the lack of sleep and the relief caught up with me and the beep of the heart monitor lulled me to sleep.

oOoOoOo

A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review and let me know what you thought…


	26. Chapter 25

_They're not mine and I'm not making any money. I'm sorry this took so long… school got busy and then I got caught up in being on break. _

_Thank you all for reading and for all of the wonderful reviews, I appreciate it immensely. And thanks Haleigh for the help editing, I always appreciate it! _

**What Happens in Vegas**

**Chapter 25**

_He was a mess. But he was my mess. I must have spent half an hour just staring at him. His hands and arms were above the covers. They were covered in bruises and stuck full of needles, but the tone of his muscles was there. Even battered he looked good. _

_I moved up to his face and felt my heart clench a little bit. He had two black eyes and a splint on his nose. His lower lip was swollen and split. And then there was his hair. Long in the front and short in the back where Harper had sliced off the ponytail. I gently ran my fingers through it before lying my head down next to his._

"_I missed you," I whispered as I carefully slid my hand under his, needing to feel him._

_For a long time, I just enjoyed lying there like that. But eventually, the lack of sleep and the relief caught up with me and the beep of the heart monitor lulled me to sleep._

oOoOoOo

I woke up a few hours later and pulled myself into a sitting position to stretch my stiff muscles. The cramp in my neck must have woken me, because it was barely light out. I glanced at the clock and saw it was only about 6:30. I was never awake this early without help. _Ranger usually was though_, I thought as I let my eyes drink him in. He'd have already been for a run and done God knows what else by now.

Unfortunately, this morning he was only a few hours out of surgery. I didn't think he'd be running any time soon.

I lightly touched his hand and let my fingers travel up his arm. When I reached his upper arm, I skated around the bruises before removing my hand and brining it to my lips. I kissed my finger tips and then gently touched a bruise, repeating the process for each one. I'd just finished and was contemplating giving the other arm the same treatment when I heard the door open, making me jump.

I spun in my chair, to see a middle aged man standing in the door way.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Manoso," he said as he approached the bed. "I didn't mean to startle you. I'm Dr. Turner and I just need to check in on your husband."

"Okay," I said, not correcting him on the name thing. I had more important things on my mind. "He's really going to be okay?"

"He should be fine. His injuries are extensive, but nothing that shouldn't heal with time and rest."

"When will he wake up? He's been unconscious since we found him."

"He should wake up later this morning. He'd have been awake earlier if it weren't for the drugs we've given him. Because of the surgery, combined with the deep bruising and broken bones, he's going to be in quite a bit of pain. We're just giving his body a little head start on healing." The doctor checked machines as he made notes on the chart he was carrying.

"He's not in pain now, though?" I asked, taking in Ranger's unnaturally relaxed face.

"No. He won't be feeling much of anything until after he wakes up, and then we'll back him off the drugs. Now, if you'll excuse me," the doctor said, closing Ranger's chart and making his way out of the room.

I sank back into my chair when I was alone again and tried to find a comfortable position to fall back asleep. But no mater what I tried, my mind wouldn't shut down.

The danger was over and I knew from experience that things would be back to normal before we knew it. And then Ranger and I would have to deal with our marriage. I was still having trouble with that concept.

Two weeks ago, my major relationship woe was realizing I wanted my off-again with Morelli to be permanent. Somehow, between then and now, I'd managed to marry my best friend, pick up a stalker, and plan a divorce for after we dealt with said stalker. But I didn't want the divorce any more.

Earlier, while I was waiting for Ranger to come out of surgery, I'd found my wedding rings in my purse and slipped them on. I thought about taking them back off, but having them on was comforting. I couldn't explain why, they just were. And every time the light caught on the diamond I caught myself smiling.

I'd laced my fingers with Ranger's again and after a while I realized it was his left hand I was holding. I gently traced my fingers around his ring finger and wondered what he'd done with is ring. We hadn't really talked about it, we'd both just taken our ring's off. I couldn't help imagining him putting the ring somewhere safe since that would mean it meant something to him.

With a sigh, I scooted around in my chair again and laid myself half on the bed. It was still very early. So I pressed a kiss to Ranger's empty ring finger and finally drifted back to sleep.

oOoOoOo

The next time I opened my eyes, I was staring across a broad chest and straight at Tank. He was on my chair and it looked like I'd been moved to the bed. Carefully tilting my head up, I saw that it was pillowed on Ranger's shoulder and he was still sleeping.

"What am I doing here?" I hissed at Tank.

For half a second I swear he looked amused and then he shrugged. "Boss man wanted you there with him."

"He woke up?" I began moving, trying to get a better look at Ranger, but Tank placed a hand on my shoulder stopping me.

"Careful how you move, Bomber, don't jar him."

I felt my eyes go wide and immediately froze. "Is he okay?"

"He'll be fine and you can relax. Just no quick movements."

I settled back down the way I was and fixed Tank with 'The Look.' The one my mother gave me before a grilling.

"When did Ranger wake up?"

"About three hours ago."

"Why didn't you wake me up?"

"He told me not to."

I rolled my eyes at that. Getting info from Tank definitely wasn't easy.

"How was he?"

"Pissed about getting taken. Worried about how you held up."

"Did the doctor come see him?"

"Yep."

I gave him another eye roll. "_And_?"

"He's healing nicely. Demanded to be taken off the drugs. The doc switched him the mildest one he felt comfortable with."

"But this morning the doctor said he'd be in pain when he woke up. Am I hurting him being here?"

"You're fine, Babe," I heard from just above my ear.

I gasped and tilted my head to look up at Ranger's face.

"Ranger," I said softly as I met his sleep-clouded brown eyes. I felt so many emotions in that moment I couldn't manage anything else.

"Morning, Babe," Ranger said, meeting my gaze and holding it.

I don't know how long we stayed like that, but eventually Tank cleared his throat and stood. "Well, I think I'll leave you kids alone," he said and retreated from the room.

When I heard the door click shut again I broke my gaze from Rangers and moved my eyes over his battered face.

"How are you feeling?" I finally asked.

"I've felt worse."

I didn't want to think about what had happened to leave him feeling worse so I didn't answer. Instead, I slowly turned my head, being careful not to move any more of my body, and pressed a kiss to his shoulder.

And that simple action did it. All of the worry and fear and relief I'd been feeling broke free and my eyes filled with tears. When the first one landed on Ranger's hospital gown I told myself maybe he wouldn't notice. Five minutes later I'd created an impressive wet spot and Ranger had moved an arm to wrap loosely around me. I was glad that was all he did as he let me cry. I was using all my energy to keep from sobbing, terrified of jarring him. Any more comfort and I wouldn't be able to hold it together.

Eventually I got myself under control with a long shaking breath. We didn't speak or move until Ranger released the arm he had around me and began to trace up and down my back and along the arm I had resting on his chest. I still felt full of emotion, so I pressed another kiss to his shoulder and he caressed mine in response.

We stayed like that until Ranger's arm stilled and I felt his breathing slow. When I was sure he was out, I moved my hand and placed it over his heart, smiling as I felt the steady bu-bump keeping time with the beep of the heart monitor.

I lay like that for a long time, watching Ranger sleep and breathe and live. After a while, though, the stillness and his warmth sent me to sleep.

oOoOoOo

I was still on the bed when I drifted out of sleep again, but this time Ranger was already awake. I could feel his hands on one of mine, holding it up and turning it this way and that. I'd yawned and blinked the sleep from my eyes before realizing he had my left hand. And unless someone had removed them, I was still wearing my rings. After a few moments Ranger stopped playing with my hand and I could feel him watching me, so I cautiously moved myself to look up at him.

"Yo," I said, making it sound more like a question.

"Yo, yourself," Ranger said, giving me a slow smile. "You're wearing your rings."

I wasn't sure if I was ready for this talk, but since Ranger never took trips to denial land I guess we were having it. And he was still waiting for some response from me.

"Yep," I said. I wasn't exactly sure how I should respond though…

"Why, Babe?"

I thought for a second that maybe he was angry, but then realized he sounded more curious and something else I couldn't place. The words just began to tumble out of me.

"When you were in surgery, I needed comfort food so I was looking in my bag for a Snickers. I found the rings where I'd put them for safe keeping and they made me feel better so I put them on."

"I'm glad you did," Ranger said, smiling the soft smile I'd only ever seen him give me and only on rare occasions. Then he picked my hand back up and pressed a kiss to my palm before turning it over and pressing a kiss to my rings. "I knew that would look good on you."

My heart sped up when I realized he was staring at the diamond on my finger, not meeting my eyes.

"What?" I finally choked out.

"When I bought it."

"When we were in Vegas? You mean you remember?"

"No," he said after a long pause. "I still only remember bits and pieces of Vegas. And none of the good stuff. I bought this a while ago."

I stayed quiet as the implications of his words washed over me. Ranger had bought an engagement ring, for me, while claiming not to do relationships and maybe while I was with Morelli. And if he had it in Vegas he must have carried it around with him…

"Why? When?" I asked after a long silence.

"The day after our night together."

"That was almost a year ago," I said softly. "But why Ranger?"

"I thought that night would get you out of my system. It didn't work and I was… confused."

"Well you're not the only one," I muttered.

Ranger squeezed my hand in response before continuing. "It's not a feeling I'm used to or comfortable with. By the end of my meeting that morning I thought was going out of my mind, but forced myself to focus."

He paused for a moment and I let him. My curiosity was killing me, but I knew revealing himself like this was hard for Ranger. So I waited and let him gather his thoughts.

"There had been a break in at a jeweler I provide security for. I thought the activity would distract me and it did, but then I saw the ring. I could picture you wearing it." He kissed my ringed fingers again, "It looks better than I thought."

"But what you said later… later that day," I said. This didn't mesh at all with the speech he'd given me. It still hurt to think of it, and now he was confusing me in a way I wasn't sure my heart could take.

"You're a temptation and a distraction, Babe. Back then I wasn't quite out of the Army or done doing missions. I didn't need a distraction."

I tried not to let it, but that last statement hurt. It made me feel like an inconvenience or a burden. Ranger must have noticed a change in me because he tightened the muscled in his arm giving me a gentle squeeze.

"Don't forget I said you were a temptation too. I must have spent an hour staring at the ring trying to decide if I should leave town and never look back or shove the thing on your finger and damn the consequences."

"But I don't understand," I said. He definitely hadn't done either of those things.

"I couldn't make up my mind, Babe. So, I flipped the ring. Stone towards me and I'd pursue a relationship, away and I'd leave."

He stopped again and during the pause I felt myself getting angry. He thought he could decide my 'fate' with a ring flip? But before I could say anything, memories of a black dress and a bowl with two names in it flashed through my mind. There was no way I could be mad without being a hypocrite. After a moment, I nodded that I understood and Ranger went on.

"It pointed to the side." He shrugged one shoulder. "Deep down, I knew neither option was right. I decided to stay where I could be near you and sent you back to Morelli, which was what I thought you really wanted."

"Well maybe you should have asked what I wanted," I said. I never had liked other people making decisions for me.

"What did you want?"

I wasn't prepared for that. "I don't know," I said and got the subject off of me. "What about the stuff you said about your lifestyle not lending itself to relationships."

"I believed it when I said it."

"And now?"

I felt my heart rate pick up and surprisingly the beeping of the heart monitor did too.

oOoOoOo

A/N: Thanks for reading and please review… let me know what you thought (even if it's that this chapter took too long getting here!) I'll try very hard not to let it go this long again, especially now that the end is in sight! I think.


	27. Chapter 26

_They're still not mine and I'm not making any money… _

_As always, thank you all for reading and for all of the wonderful reviews, I appreciate it immensely. Sorry this is a bit short, but I wanted to get something posted. And thanks Haleigh and Melody for the help editing, I am definitely grateful! _

**What Happens in Vegas**

**Chapter 26**

"_Well maybe you should have asked what I wanted," I said. I never had liked other people making decisions for me._

"_What did you want?"_

_I wasn't prepared for that. "I don't know," I said and got the subject off of me. "What about the stuff you said about your lifestyle not lending itself to relationships."_

"_I believed it when I said it."_

"_And now?"_

_I felt my heart rate pick up and surprisingly the beeping of the heart monitor did too._

oOoOoOo

I could tell this was it. The moment I'd been praying for and dreading ever since I fully recognized my feelings for Ranger. I knew what I wanted him to say, but I was terrified of hearing that he still didn't have room in his life for me. And now I knew I couldn't go back to Morelli again. If I did, I'd be lying to all three of us.

I was startled from my thoughts when I felt Ranger's chest rise as much as his injured ribs would allow. He was done gathering his thoughts and I was completely focused on what he was about to say when I felt him tense slightly. And then I heard the door to our room swing open.

I shut my eyes and had to suppress a groan. I started to mentally curse whoever had interrupted us, but I stopped because I couldn't think of anything horrible enough. Ranger just squeezed me in another one-armed hug. He was amused. I could feel it. And since my death glare didn't work on him, I opened my eyes and focused my glare on the person coming towards the bed.

It was a nurse, who looked about the same age as my mother, and the glare wasn't working on her either. She didn't shrivel up and die or back quickly out of the room. Instead, she bustled her way over to the bed and began scolding me.

"What is this? You can't be on the bed like that. Mr. Manoso is recovering from serious injuries."

"Um, sorry," I said and started to cautiously lift myself up.

"Now, be careful and watch the tubes," she said and focused her attention on Ranger and the machines he was hooked up to.

I'd just about figured out how to lift myself up off of Ranger without any chance of hurting him when I felt his arm tighten around my waist.

"She stays."

"Mr. Manoso, I'm sure you know that the pressure can't be good for your ribs," the nurse said.

"Broken one's on the other side," he said and pulled me back into the position I'd originally been in.

She looked like she wanted to argue, but Ranger gave her one of his intimidating looks and she just shook her head. Wise woman. Ranger very rarely gave in when he didn't want to.

"Suit yourself. I'm Fran, by the way. I'm your day-shift nurse for the next few days. Right now, I need to change the bandages from your surgery and make sure everything's still in good shape."

Ranger gave her his almost nod and I felt myself get a bit squeamish. Maybe I did want to get up off the bed, because my current position gave me a great view of whatever she was about to do.

She turned the blanket down to Ranger's waist and then moved his hospital gown, revealing his bandaged stomach. I saw the large gauze patch about an inch or so above his belly button and watched in morbid fascination as she began to carefully peel the tape away. When she lifted it, however, I squeezed my eyes most of the way shut like I do during the gory part of a horror movie.

That made both Fran and Ranger chuckle.

"Don't worry," Fran said. "Dr. Turner does very neat work. You should be able to handle this."

I didn't really believe her, but I was curious so I took a peek. "Still looks gross," I said as I took in the thin line, held together with scary looking staples.

"Maybe now," Ranger said, giving me a low wattage wolf grin, "but I've heard chicks dig scars."

"Even if that's true, you already have plenty," I said rolling my eyes.

Fran gave a soft laugh at us as she swabbed something over the incision and covered it with fresh gauze. "You two are newly-weds aren't you?"

"Umm, yeah," I said, not exactly sure how to respond. We weren't exactly the normal newly-weds…

"It shows," she said, adding a last bit of tape before giving us another warning. "Now remember to behave yourselves and watch the injured ribs."

"Yes ma'am," Ranger said as she left the room.

As soon as the door clicked shut, I felt the mood in the room change. We'd been making progress and having a real discussion before Fran interrupted us. But I was afraid our momentum had been broken, because now things just felt awkward.

"So, what were you about to say?" I asked in the most off-handed manner I could. I was really, really hoping Ranger would start talking again.

I felt him take a deep breath and release it. If he had been anyone else, I would have sworn it was a sigh. He didn't answer, and I was starting to think that he wasn't going to, when he finally spoke. "Where'd we stop?"

"You were saying you believed your life didn't lend itself to relationships after, uh… after that night."

"I did. And I kept the ring in my wallet to remind me."

I swear I felt my heart splinter when he said that and I couldn't immediately reply. After a minute, though, a sense of self preservation forced me to speak. "Well, I guess that answers one of my questions," I heard myself say.

"Babe?" Ranger asked, clearly not understanding.

"I just wondered why you had the ring with you in Vegas if you bought it so long ago."

Ranger didn't say anything to that and I stayed quiet too. I wasn't sure if there was anything left to be said. I'd known he cared for me. He'd even told me more than once that he loved me. But the idea that some part of him had wanted a relationship was completely new to me. Somehow, that made his rejection hurt even more because now I knew that it had hurt him too.

And it helped strengthen my belief that we could be happy if only he wasn't so damn stubborn.

It was that thought that made me angry. I wasn't cut out to be a burg wife. The idea of a minivan terrified me more than my roughest distraction jobs did. I knew I could handle his lifestyle, because it was a place I finally felt like I fit. And on top of that, I knew it had molded him into the man that I love, shaping his fuzzy, but strict moral code.

I was about to share these thoughts with Ranger, when he spoke.

"There was another reason."

"What?" I asked. My thoughts had gone off in their own direction and I didn't quite follow what he was saying.

"There was another reason I had the ring."

"Oh?" I said and wished I could have come up with something more intelligent, but my heart was hammering in my chest again and I knew he could feel it. He only hugged me tighter.

"Remember when I told you about someday?"

"Yes." It came out in a whisper.

"I'd tried to get rid of the ring a few days before that. I couldn't do it. I realized deep down, part of me wanted to give it to you. So, I promised myself someday."

"What are you saying?" I held my breath, praying that he was saying what I hoped he was.

"I'm not sure."

"Oh," I said again and felt my eyes sting.

I couldn't believe that I'd let myself get my hopes up like that, even if it was only for a minute. Neither of us spoke immediately and the silence felt heavy. I was still searching for something to break it when he spoke.

"The 'someday' was still vague. I'm not sure if I really believed it would ever get here. I just knew that time would eventually force me to change. Then the Scrog thing happened."

"The Scrog thing?" What did that have to do with our someday?

"It made me think," he said, shrugging his shoulders slightly. "Reevaluate."

"And?"

"And I realized I wanted someday to be more than a dream. I wanted to _make_ it happen."

My heart was pounding again. I swear the man was trying to give me a hear attack. A 'someday' with him was what I wanted more than anything else and he was dangling it in front of me. But it sounded like what he wanted too. I just didn't know when he wanted it to start. Was he telling me he'd retire his badass image and no relationship policy at some point in the future? Was he asking me if I'd be there waiting?

I wanted to be angry and tell him I deserved better than that. But my heart clenched up as I realized I was already in too deep. I'd wait forever if it meant I got to be with him.

"When?" I asked as I braced myself mentally. "When do you want it to happen?"

"Babe. When I decide I want something to happen, I start working towards making it happen."

What the Hell was that supposed to mean? "Ranger, the Scrog thing and your 'someday' comment were months ago."

"Yeah. I had work to do first."

I looked up at him and tried to give him the raised eyebrow look. Luckily he figured it out and started talking before I sprained my face.

"Babe, my life's still not fit for a relationship. I wanted to be able to give you what you deserve."

"What I deserve? Ranger, what are you talking about?" I asked, tilting my face up to look at him again.

I was shocked at what I saw. For once, his face wasn't blank. If I had to put a name to the emotion I saw, I would say he was sad but I couldn't figure out why. He was saying he wanted a relationship. He wanted someday. He couldn't possibly think I didn't want that, could he?

"You deserve more than I can offer right now. I meant it when I said you deserve what Morelli can give you. I just realized I wanted it to be me that gave it to you."

"You are such a stupid man," I said as I reached up and caressed his face.

"Babe?"

"Don't you think I would have settled down with Morelli by now if I wanted what he could give me?"

"You were always with him," Ranger said, shrugging the shoulder I was lying on.

I didn't quite know how to reply to that. I didn't think pointing out to Ranger that he had sent me back to Morelli was the right move at the moment. And I did love Joe. For the longest time that had confused me because I knew we wanted such different things out of life.

"You said yourself that Joe and I had an unhealthy pattern," I eventually told Ranger. "We were more comfortable than right for each other."

I wasn't sure how I felt about discussing mine and Joe's relationship with Ranger, but I realized it had to be done if there was any chance of us making things work.

"So you're saying I should sell the house I bought out in the suburbs?" Ranger asked, interrupting my thoughts.

I immediately jerked my head up and looked at him. He was giving me a big, mischievous grin. "Please tell me you're joking."

"Definitely, Babe."

"Thank God."

"I did retire completely from the Army," Ranger said, and this time I could tell he was serious.

I didn't say anything right away because I definitely needed to think about that. If I understood him right, he'd retired for me. I felt both guilty and mushy inside at the same time. I knew the guys loved their commando stuff and I couldn't believe Ranger had given it up. But the fact that he actually had given it up felt more like a commitment than anything I'd ever experienced.

"Ranger, you shouldn't ha--", I started to say, but he put a hand over my mouth cutting me off.

"It was time. Last time I told you I was in the wind was my last mission."

"You got back from that more than two months ago," I said more to myself. "You haven't made any other major changes have you?"

"I've been training some of the guys to take over some of my responsibilities so that RangeMan isn't my life."

"I don't understand," I said for what felt like the hundredth time in this conversation.

"Neither do I, Babe."

We lay there in silence for a while with Ranger drawing lazy circles on my arm and me dropping occasional kisses on his shoulder. It felt comfortable. Like we'd both agreed to take a break. An emotional time out. And I was amazed with how calm I was considering the conversation we were having. Maybe because I liked where it was going, I thought as I smiled to myself.

"Ranger?" I finally said after a few minutes.

"Yeah, Babe?" he asked, opening his eyes and giving me a soft look.

"If you were trying to make things so we could have a relationship, why'd you say we should get a divorce?"

"I still don't have my life to where a relationship will be easy. And we got married because we were drunk."

And before I could stop myself, I had to ask the million dollar question. "So, do you really want a divorce?"

oOoOoOo

A/N: Thanks for reading and please review! Let me know what you think Ranger's going to say!


	28. Chapter 27

_I don't own them and I'm not making any money._

_So… sorry about the wait for a new chapter! Real life and an absent muse have been teaming up on me, but I'll try to do better. Thank you all who have been reviewing and prodding me to write, I appreciate it. Also, thanks to Haliegh and Melody for their help editing, without them this would have taken even longer!_

**What Happens in Vegas**

**Chapter 27**

"_If you were trying to make things so we could have a relationship, why'd you say we should get a divorce?"_

"_I still don't have my life to where a relationship will be easy. And we got married because we were drunk."_

_And before I could stop myself, I had to ask the million dollar question. "So, do you really want a divorce?"_

oOoOoOo

"That's not a fair question, Babe," Ranger said, his arms tightening around me.

"Why's that?" I asked in my most innocent voice.

He'd admitted to wanting a serious relationship with me. But he'd also admitted to buying the ring in a fit of confusion. So all I still needed to know was if he actually wanted our relationship to be the marriage kind. And I was really hoping we'd be able to get to the point without talking about me.

"I still don't know what you're thinking about all this,"

_Crap._

I chewed my bottom lip for a minute and squeezed my eyes shut. I wasn't sure if I was ready for him to know how much I wanted. I wanted him. I wanted to stay married. I wanted us to have a real relationship and I wanted it to start now. But I was terrified it would be _too_ much.

And then I realized what I was doing. Ranger and I have always had a problem communicating since neither of us are big on feelings, but the only way to get what I want would be complete honesty.

"I want a relationship. With you," I finally whispered.

"Babe."

I shook my head to stop him before he got any further.

"I don't _just_ want a relationship with you. I want us to make this marriage work. While you were missing, I was more terrified than I've ever been in my entire life. I realized I _love you_, love you."

"You love me, love me?" Ranger asked with a hint of a smile in his voice.

All I could do was nod and squeeze my eyes shut. I couldn't believe I'd just blurted that out.

Eventually, I nodded against his shoulder and took a deep breath. "Yeah, I do. And I know that one of your reasons not to have a relationship is because you don't want someone else worrying about you, but it's too late. I'm in too deep. If you were going to walk away, you should have done it a long time ago."

I felt him take a breath to respond but I reached up and covered his mouth with my fingers. I didn't want to hear him say he didn't feel the same way.

"You don't have to say anything," I said as I removed my hand. "I just wanted you to know the truth."

He slowly raised an arm and lifted my chin so I was forced to meet his eyes. "I was going to say I can't walk away. I tried, remember."

I nodded slowly but didn't say any more.

Ranger held my eyes for a minute longer before a slow smile spread across his face. "So you really want to stay married?"

"Yeah," I said softly. I'd noticed he still hadn't said what he wanted.

"Then we'll stay married."

"Just like that?" I couldn't believe it had been that easy.

"Babe, I decided a while ago that I wanted you in my life. Whether we're married or not doesn't really matter as long as you're with me." He kissed me softly for a minute before leaning back and giving me another smile. "But I have to admit, I've gotten kind of attached to the idea of you as my wife."

"Thank God," I said. "Because I love the idea of you as my husband."

That got me another smile and a few more kisses before Ranger relaxed back onto his pillow again.

"But I guess this means we have to tell our families the divorce is off…"

"And they're going to insist on some sort of reception aren't they?" I asked with a groan.

"Yeah, unless we beat them to the punch."

"Explain," I said, doing my best Ranger impression.

He stared at me with a raised eyebrow until I gave him my best doe eyed look and he gave in.

"We could have a wedding."

"Uh, didn't we do that all ready?"

"Yes, but it was technically a civil ceremony. Abuela Rosa had a point, we're not married in the eyes of the Church."

"You want a church wedding?" I asked.

"Only if it's what you want."

I almost automatically said 'no.' My first wedding was a fiasco with months of planning and stress for a few weeks of marriage and a messy divorce. But then a picture of a creamy dress and Ranger smiling at me from the front of a church popped into my head. I sighed softly and realized I wanted something I could celebrate and remember with Ranger.

"Babe?" he prodded after a minute.

"I do."

"A bit early for that," he said with a smile.

"Yeah," I said and leaned up to give him a kiss. "But can we make the plans ourselves? And keep it simple?"

"Definitely."

The relief in his voice made me laugh and snuggle closer. "I can't believe you actually suggested a wedding," I said, still slightly amazed.

"If we're going to do this, we might as well do it right."

"When should we have it?"

"As soon as possible."

"So everyone will get off our backs and life can get back to normal?"

"Babe, my life hasn't been normal since you walked into that café."

"Well, fine. Maybe I shouldn't marry you."

"You already did. And I never said I didn't like it."

I didn't really have a response so I just kissed the part of his neck I could reach and made a soft, contented sound. It felt great to have stuff settled. There were still things we needed to talk about, but we had the big issues out of the way and the rest could wait.

After a few minutes of lying there, warm and comfy, I let out a huge yawn and felt Ranger do the same.

oOoOoOo

I woke up later and felt Ranger playing with my hand again. He pressed a lingering kiss to my palm and then moved on to each finger. I definitely liked waking up like that.

Once all the fog was gone from my brain, I looked up and gave him a soft smile. We held eye contact until I heard a familiar sound. A stomach growling. But for once it wasn't me. It was Ranger, and I couldn't help laughing.

"Do you want me to call a nurse?"

"Not yet," he said before his stomach growled again.

I looked at him and tried to raise an eyebrow. "When was the last time you ate?"

"Dinner at my parents."

I felt my eyes go wide. That had been three days ago.

"Ranger you need food! Let me get a nurse. Why didn't they feed you?"

"I was unconscious. And you have to wait to eat after surgery. If I threw up, it would make a mess of everything they fixed."

"So they'd rather have you starve to death?" I asked.

"Babe."

"Don't 'Babe' me. You may not have to eat while doing your commando thing but you're in a hospital. How can you heal without food?"

He held up his hand and pointed at one of the tubes attached to an IV. "Getting fluids and nutrients from there."

I rolled my eyes. "You still need to eat."

"I just wanted to hold you a little longer. But you can call the nurse if it makes you feel better."

I felt myself go a little gooey inside when he said he wanted to hold me but I fought it off. If he wasn't going to take care of himself, I'd have to do it for him. I gave him a little smile before carefully moving to reach the call button.

A minute later the door swung open and Fran, the nurse who'd interrupted us earlier, walked in.

"Have you two been behaving yourselves?" she asked with an indulgent smile

"Yes, ma'am," Ranger said, while I rolled my eyes.

"So what can I do for you?"

Before we could answer Ranger's stomach let out another loud growl and Fran laughed.

"Lunch would be nice," I said.

"I can tell. I'll have something brought up." She did a quick check of the things Ranger was hooked up to. When she was satisfied, she left and I smiled up at Ranger.

"Happy now?" he asked me.

"Definitely." I pressed a kiss to his chest and buried my face in his hospital robe. I was so happy after our talk earlier that I could barely hold it in.

"Babe, can I ask you something?" Ranger said.

I tilted my face up to smile at him. "Of course."

"Are you sure about this. About us. Are you positive it's what you want?"

I felt my heart stutter before I picked up on his uncertain mood so I replied as firmly as I could. "Yes, Ranger. Why?"

"I know we already talked about Morelli, but I watched you two together for so long. You two would get serious and then you'd leave him. I need you to know that if we do this, there's no going back."

"I know," I said softly. "And I don't want to go back. With Joe, there was always a part of me that refused to give in. I don't feel that way with you. I want us and that's not going to change."

"Good," Ranger said and I felt him give a decisive nod. "So no more Joe."

"No more anybody else. For either of us." I said. "But you do know Joe and I are still going to be friends, right?"

"As long as he knows you're his friend but my wife."

I rolled my eyes and tried not to laugh. Ranger being possessive, who would have seen that coming?

"He knows. We talked about it not long after Vegas. Believe it or not, he actually admitted you were what I needed."

"So he sent you to me?"

"If that's how you want to think about it," I said and decided to end the conversation by moving over him and sealing my lips to his.

I deepened the kiss until I felt one of Ranger's arms sneaking around my back, trying to pull me down onto him. Just before I turned completely to goo, I managed to pull away.

"I love you," I said, amazed at how easily it came out.

And just when I was debating the pros and cons of starting another kiss, I heard the door open again.

Looking over my shoulder, I saw a young cafeteria worker carrying a tray with Ranger's lunch. Or she had been carrying it. When she caught sight of us, she'd frozen in the middle of the room with a blush on her face. Oops.

I moved over to the side of the bed and finally got myself off of it. It felt good to stretch my muscles and the bed would have to be raised so Ranger could eat. It would be much easier without me on there too.

"Um, sorry," the girl finally said. "I have lunch for Mr. Manoso." She just held the tray out to me.

"Thanks." I smiled and took the tray. The man was battered and in a hospital bed and he still had that effect on the female population. I guess I'd have to get used to it.

Once she left, I sat the tray on the table beside Ranger's bed and slowly raised him into a sitting position. Then, I settled myself and the tray back on the bed and gave him my most brilliant smile.

"Broth and Jell-O! Your favorites."

"Babe," he said before giving the tray and its contents a glare.

"But it's got to be better than twigs and bark."

That earned me a raised eyebrow.

"You are going to eat it, right?"

"Maybe with some convincing."

"Such as?" I asked with a laugh.

Ranger pretended to think for a minute before leaning over and whispering in my ear. And I felt my face go instantly red.

"I don't think that's even possible," I managed to stammer.

"We could always find out."

"How about you pick something else for now."

"Okay. I get to pick where we go for our honeymoon."

I thought about it for a minute, trying to decide if he would take me somewhere without malls or indoor plumbing.

"You love me?"

"I love you."

"Then you can pick our honeymoon. Just remember to imagine how much fun we could have in a jacuzzi."

"I'll keep that in mind," he said with a wolf grin before picking up his bowl and drinking his broth.

oOoOoOo

A/N: Sorry again for the wait between chapters. But please review, it lets me know you're out there waiting and I feel guilty about leaving things hanging…


	29. Chapter 28

_Still don't own them and I'm not making any money…_

_Sorry again about the wait between chapters. Real life's been it's usual self. Thank you all who have been reviewing and messaging, encouraging me to write. The guilt factor is a huge motivator. And a big thanks to Haleigh and Melody as usual for their help editing!_

**What Happens in Vegas**

**Chapter 28**

"_Okay. I get to pick where we go for our honeymoon."_

_I thought about it for a minute, trying to decide if he would take me somewhere without malls or indoor plumbing. _

"_You love me?"_

"_I love you."_

"_Then you can pick our honeymoon. Just remember to imagine how much fun we could have in a jacuzzi."_

"_I'll keep that in mind," he said with a wolf grin before picking up his bowl and drinking his broth._

oOoOoOo

"Please, please, please," I mumbled to myself over and over as I paced the hall outside Ranger's room. I could feel the eyes of the Merry Men on me and I knew I was driving them nuts but I didn't care.

The doctor was in with Ranger, deciding whether or not to release him from the hospital today. And I didn't think I would survive the wait. Since he'd woken up a week ago, Ranger had done his best to be the worst patient ever.

He refused his pain meds and tried to refuse his antibiotics. After about three days, he'd tried to check himself out of the hospital. When I stopped him, he started flirting with the nurses to make me jealous so I'd let him leave. I ignored him. Then he'd threatened the doctor and the RangeMen I'd put outside his door to make sure he didn't escape. I threatened to call his mother and tell her he didn't have enough visitors.

That had been working but I was at my wits end. If the doctor didn't release him today, I might just help him escape myself.

I was just thinking about how I could get him home when the door to his room swung open.

"Ms. Plum, would you please join us," said the doctor.

I nodded with a sigh, wondering what Ranger had been up to now.

Surprisingly, he had been on excellent behavior for his examination and was finally being released. The doctor just wanted to go over some at home instructions with me. I tried to pay attention, but he said everything I needed to know was in the packet of discharge papers he'd handed me before starting. I'd give them to Bobby and between him and Ella, they'd have everything under control.

The doctor left and I turned to see Ranger giving me 2000 Watt smile. I rolled my eyes and moved closer.

"Congratulations." Then I peppered kisses all over his face, ending at his still smiling lips.

oOoOoOo

"Happy?" I asked Ranger later that night as we lay cuddled together in his wonderful bed.

"Unbelievably," he said before dipping his head to claim my lips.

We kissed lazily, savoring the taste of one another, for a few minutes before I felt Ranger's hand sneaking up my abdomen under my shirt and his tongue teasing the seam of my lips. I let him in and twined my arms around his neck as he palmed my breast, pulling a soft moan from me.

Things escalated from there until Ranger let out a loud groan as he pulled me on top of him. Unfortunately, I recognized it as a groan of pain rather than passion.

"Oh shit, Ranger, I'm so sorry," I said and I quickly disentangled myself and moved to lie beside him.

"You didn't do anything, Babe."

"I know, but I should have remembered that you're not cleared for any _strenuous_ activity."

"Strenuous activity?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Uh, yeah. You know… running, working long hours, ruining your wife, takedowns… things like that."

"Only you, Babe," Ranger said with a chuckle as he carefully repositioned us so we were simply lying curled together.

We stayed like that for a few minutes with the only movement being Rangers fingertips drifting slowly from my hip to rib cage and back. I was just about lulled to sleep when Ranger pressed a kiss to the back of my neck.

"When do you want to get married again?"

"Huh?" I really was just about asleep.

"Our wedding, Babe. When do you want to have it?"

"Soon," I said, rolling to face Ranger.

"How soon?"

"Well… how long do you think you're going to be out of commission? I don't want to have a honeymoon without any honey."

"Probably about a month until the incision in my stomach and my ribs are good. And I heal quickly."

"I can live with that," I said giving him a slow kiss. "That'll give us time to plan and get everyone invited."

"Everyone?"

"Everyone important."

"Good."

"Don't worry, Batman. I did the three ring circus once and I'm not in a hurry to have a repeat."

He responded to that with a kiss of his own before grabbing his phone, flipping it open and navigating to the calendar.

"How's the 26th work for you?"

"Good," I said, staring at Ranger as if he'd sprouted another head. "Anxious?"

"No. I told you, once I set my mind on something I make it happen. And there's a lot of planning to do. We need to find a secure location, find a priest and do a background check on him, set up security, find out if our guests are bringing dates and do background checks on them…"

"You're doing a background check on the priest?"

"Of course."

I just rolled my eyes at that. I was marrying/married to one of the most paranoid men in the world. And I still adored him.

"Not paranoid, Babe. Prepared. And I love you too."

I smiled and went gooey for a minute, still loving the words 'I love you' coming from him without a qualifier. And then I sent him a glare.

"Are you always going to do the ESP thing?"

"Yes."

I rolled my eyes again and let it go.

"I'm going to need to find a dress," I said with a sigh. I'd gone wedding dress shopping twice before and I wasn't looking forward to doing it again.

"You could just wear that little, white thing you wore in Vegas."

"Right. My mother would have a heart attack and Grandma would want to know where she could get one like it."

I felt Ranger shudder and moved closer before I kissed him hard… for purely therapeutic reasons. Didn't want him emotionally scared.

We carried on until I felt a hand sneaking into my little cotton shorts and swatted it away, distracting Ranger from his concentration on my neck. It was going to be an interesting few weeks until Ranger got some medical clearance.

oOoOoOo

When we woke up the next morning, we showered together and then I ordered breakfast while Ranger started his physical therapy exercises. Once I was done, I leaned myself on the bar to watch him work. He was deep in his zone, giving the repetitive exercises with the same level of concentration he gave a high stakes take down.

As soon as he was done, he turned his head and locked his eyes with mine, catching me staring.

"Babe."

"What?" I asked, blushing slightly. "There's nothing wrong with a wife enjoying watching her hubby."

"Hubby?"

"Yep, that's you," I said.

And before he could reply, there was a light knock on the door before Ella came bustling in with breakfast. She sat a steaming plate of strawberry pancakes on the bar for me and a bowl of granola and yogurt for Ranger as well as an assortment of fresh fruit.

"And how are you feeling this morning, dear?" Ella asked Ranger.

"Glad to be home," Ranger said.

"It is good to have you back. I was worried about you in that hospital. Did the boys bring the dinners I sent you?"

"Yes. Thank you."

"It's my pleasure, dear. Now, you two eat up, and call if you need anything else."

After Ella left, I tucked into my pancakes while watching Ranger eat his granola. I'll never understand what he sees in the stuff. It's fine in a bar with a lot of chocolate chips and maybe a chocolate coating, but to just eat it with plain yogurt and some cinnamon, no thanks.

When we were done with our breakfast, we stacked our dishes on the tray Ella left and went to get ready for work. I tried to convince Ranger to stay in the apartment and rest, but he wouldn't hear of it. He said he would get just as much rest sitting in his office catching up on paperwork.

I dressed myself in old jeans and a t-shirt since it was safe to go back to bounty hunting now that Harper was gone.

We rode the elevator to the fifth floor together and I gave Ranger a long 'have a good day' kiss until the cat-calls got too loud.

"We'll take care of him, Bomber, don't worry," Lester said, coming up behind Ranger.

I just shot him a glare, yelled goodbye to the guys and got back on the elevator.

At the bonds office, Lula and Connie were full of questions, as expected. Lula had second hand information from Tank, but apparently he was a terrible source of gossip because all he'd told her was Ranger was found, Ranger was in the hospital and Ranger got out of the hospital. I was surprised the man was still alive.

"So, how'd you find Ranger?" Connie said before I could ask if she had any files for me. Guess I wasn't getting any work done today.

"Harper offered to swap Ranger for me. We just followed him when he showed up at my apartment."

"That easy?" asked Lula.

"Yeah. He was on the deranged side."

"What'd he do to Batman to put him in the hospital that long? Tank said they were watching internal bleeding or something," Lula said.

"Harper drugged Ranger, chained him up and beat him pretty badly. He was unconscious when we found him," I said, shuddering to remember that terrible night. "He had some internal bleeding so they had to repair that and combined with the broken ribs and deep bruising, the doctors just wanted to keep him there to make sure he was healing okay."

"And he's going to be fine?" Connie asked.

"Yeah."

"And what's the status on you two. Tank wasn't too clear on that either," Lula said.

"We're staying married," I said, a big, goofy grin spreading across my face.

I didn't catch either of their responses, because both Lula and Connie started squealing, jumping up and down and hugging me. They carried on, getting louder and louder until Vinnie poked his head out of his office.

"What's going on out here?"

"Our girl's staying married to Batman," Lula announced.

"You're both going to keep bounty hunting?" Vinnie asked.

"As far as I know," I said.

Vinnie just nodded and slammed his office door shut again.

"We're having another wedding," I told the girls when they finally calmed down enough to let me talk again.

"Another wedding?" Lula asked. "You can get married more than once?"

"We had a civil ceremony in Vegas. We're both Catholic so now we're getting married in the church. It'll make our families happy and we want to have a wedding we can actually remember."

"When?" Connie immediately wanted to know.

"Will you two promise to keep it quiet for a while? At least until we can get the invitations out?" I asked.

I saw them both fight some sort of internal battle, but finally they nodded.

"The 26th. We haven't picked where and knowing Ranger, he might not tell anyone until the day before," I said with a smile.

They both laughed before picking back up on their questioning. And I didn't get anything done for the day. We talked all morning, went out for lunch and looked at wedding websites all afternoon. At least I remembered to get my files from Connie before heading back to Haywood.

I met Ranger on the 5th floor and we went up to his apartment where Ella had dinner waiting for us. We ate and then settled in for the evening, making an effort to keep our hands to ourselves.

And that was our pattern for the next few weeks. Get up, breakfast, work for the day, dinner together and spend the night relaxing in the apartment and making wedding plans. A few nights we had dinner with our respective families, keeping them up to date on the wedding, but still doing things our way, and a few nights we went on double dates with Tank and Lula, but that was it. Lester actually accused us of acting like an 'old married couple.'

Then, before we knew it, it was the 24th, two days before the wedding, and Ranger was having his last post-op check up. Despite the fact that he was_ very_ creative, we were really hoping he was cleared to resume normal activity…

oOoOoOo

A/N: Sorry again about the wait. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, so hopefully that will motivate me to get this story done. Please review and let me know what you though (or how thoroughly annoyed you are about the wait between chapters).


	30. Chapter 29

_I don't own them and I'm not making any money…_

_Surprise! It's another chapter in less than a month! Please enjoy… And thank you all who have been reading and thanks for the reviews. Also, a big thank you to Melody and Haleigh for their help polishing this up!_

**What Happens in Vegas**

**Chapter 28**

_I met Ranger on the 5__th__ floor and we went up to his apartment where Ella had dinner waiting for us. We ate and then settled in for the evening, making an effort to keep our hands to ourselves. _

_And that was our pattern for the next few weeks. Get up, breakfast, work for the day, dinner together and spend the night relaxing in the apartment and making wedding plans. A few nights we had dinner with our respective families, keeping them up to date on the wedding, but still doing things our way, and a few nights we went on double dates with Tank and Lula, but that was it. Lester actually accused us of acting like an 'old married couple.'_

_Then, before we knew it, it was the 24__th__, two days before the wedding, and Ranger was having his last post-op check up. Despite the fact that he was very creative, we were really hoping he was cleared to resume normal activity…_

oOoOoOo

"Is this necessary?" I asked from the passenger seat of Lula's Firebird.

I was currently dressed up for a distraction and blindfolded, while Lula took me _somewhere._

All I had figured out so far was that the text I'd gotten from Tank, telling me to be ready for a job at nine, had really been from Lula. She had _something_ planned, but wouldn't answer any questions. Given the fact that she was dressed in her own version of a distraction outfit, I was feeling a little nervous.

"Okay, girlfriend, we're here," she suddenly announced, pulling the blindfold from my eyes.

Looking out the window, I saw that we were at a club I'd only been to for a distraction once.

I was starting to get a pretty good idea about what was going on as I followed Lula inside, and when I saw Connie, Mare and Val dressed in their own slutty get-ups my suspicions were confirmed.

"Surprise!"

I just rolled my eyes and laughed, deciding to go with it.

"Does Ranger know about this?" I asked once I was settled in at the table.

"He will once my man, Tank, gets him to his own party."

I laughed, picturing Ranger's face if Tank actually succeeded in surprising him… And I was hoping he was surprised, otherwise he was in royal trouble for not tipping me off.

I came out of my thoughts just in time to hear Connie ordering me a drink and a round of shots. Shit. At least they'd thought to do this two days before the wedding rather than the night before. Maybe Mare and Val remembered the state I had been in for my wedding to the Dick. I thought my mother would die when I was hung over in front of the entire Burg.

When the waitress arrived, she sat a glass of light brown liquid with a bit of ice in front of me and a bright red shot.

"What are these?" I asked.

"The drink's a .38 Special, it's 7Up and Rum. And the shot… is a Red-Headed Slut," Connie said holding hers up and motioning for the rest us to do the same.

When we were all prepared for the toast she continued, "To Joyce Barnhart. If you hadn't caught her with the Dick, you wouldn't be here today. Cheers."

We took our shots and not much later, as I finished my first drink, I was beginning to feel a serious buzz. I was having a great time just sitting and gossiping with the girls, when Lula announced it was time to start party games.

To Hell with raising one eyebrow, I think both of mine shot up into my hair.

"I think Steph needs another shot first," Mare said, flagging down a waitress.

"I don't think—" I started, but Lula cut me off.

"This be your last chance to have a wild girls' night."

I just motioned towards Val and Mare. "And you think Ranger's the kind of guy who would expect me to stay at home, chained to the stove, taking care of the kids?"

"Fine. You had a wild night with him and his posse in Vegas and we want our turn," she pouted.

I rolled my eyes and saw the waitress coming towards us with a tray of shots.

"What is it?" I asked resignedly.

"Pineapple Upside Down Cake," Mare said.

"It's a shot?" Maybe I should tell my mother. We'd have something to bond over…

"Sure is," Mare said lifting hers into the air. "To friendship. We love you Steph, and wish you the best."

I took the shot and felt my eyes go big. Wow, oh wow. It tasted just like my mother's cake. I think I just found a new favorite drink.

By the time the shot hit, I was ready for games. The games basically involved Lula giving us assignments and the first was getting a guy to buy you a drink. Followed by getting the most numbers in a set time. Followed by getting a kiss. That explained the distraction outfits at least.

I won almost every round since I decided to treat the games like a distraction. Mare, Val and Connie weren't quite as confident targeting random guys, and I think Lula kind of scared them…

The games and drinking continued until around one o'clock when I heard a loud crash. I turned to see what was going on and saw that a waitress had dropped a tray of drinks. She was staring at the door, so I turned my head and saw what had her distracted.

Batman and his Merry Men had entered the building.

Feeling flirty, I stalked towards Ranger and pressed my body against his, kissing him hard.

"Hi," I breathed when I finally pulled away.

"Having a good time, Babe?" he asked, grabbing my ass and pulling me a little bit tighter against him. He looked like he had a good buzz of his own going.

"Yeah. You?"

"I am now," he said, leaning in for another kiss.

The kiss was heating up with a bit more tongue and roaming hands than was appropriate in public when Lester pulled us apart.

"Let the girl breathe," he said laughing.

"Maybe I don't want to breathe," I mostly-fake pouted.

"Okay, then don't get us kicked out of the club for lewd acts in public," Bobby chimed in.

I rolled my eyes and spotted Lula and Tank. "I don't think Ranger and I are who you have to worry about."

Lula was straddling Tank's lap and her skirt had ridden up to the point that the only thing keeping her decent were Tank's large hands across her equally large ass.

"I knew coming here was a bad idea," Lester said, moving to pull them apart.

After that, we had a great time, dancing and drinking until closing time. And when we left, as if by magic, there were a couple black SUVs waiting to take everyone home. I don't think I made it out of the parking lot before I was passed out against Ranger, dozing happily.

oOoOoOo

Ouch. That was my first waking thought. My second was along the lines of, what the Hell happened? My head was pounding, my brain felt like mush and my tongue was stuck to the roof of my mouth. My entire body ached and I wasn't sure if I was capable of opening my eyes or if it was even a good idea at this point. I was just starting to think that letting myself drift back into unconsciousness was the best thing I could do when I noticed a weight around my waist and heat at my side.

I cracked one eye and saw Ranger still sleeping soundly beside me. Thinking back to _that morning, _I peeked under the sheet and got the same results. We were both completely naked. I thought hard, trying to remember if I'd missed something good, but nothing came to me so I shrugged and snuggled back into Ranger.

I dozed for awhile before coming awake again to a hand tracing its way up and down my side.

"Morning, Babe," Ranger said, sensing that I was awake.

"Ungh," I said, not opening my eyes.

"Ella's brining the cure."

"Cure. Good."

"Want to get up?"

"No."

"A shower will make you feel better."

"So will sleeping 'til tomorrow."

"Tomorrow's the wedding, Babe. I think you have things to do today."

"Shit," I said, finally opening my eyes and dragging myself into a sitting position.

As the blanket fell away, I remembered my naked state and pulled it back up over my chest.

"Seen it all before," Ranger said, sounding amused.

"Did we do anything I'd want to remember?"I asked.

"I don't know. You fell asleep in the car. I carried you up here, undressed you, put you to bed, undressed and climbed in before going to sleep. Do you want to remember that?"

"Ass," I said, swatting his stomach.

"Good thing you love me," Ranger said, pulling me on top of himself and kissing me. "How about that shower?"

"Mmm, sounds good," I said, letting him pull me out of the blankets and carry me towards the bathroom.

Half an hour later we emerged, refreshed and mutually satisfied. Ranger got dressed and I pulled on his fluffy robe before heading out to the kitchen to find two plates with fries and two glasses of Coke. I was a little thrown off by the lack of paper cups and fry holders, but sat down and dug in anyway.

We ate in comfortable silence and when we were done, Ranger pressed a kiss to my lips saying he'd be on five if I needed him. Apparently, he didn't have as much to get done today as I did…

The first thing I did was call Ella. She had been a God-send, offering to do the catering and other odds and ends despite my protests that she was going to be a guest and shouldn't be doing these things.

"Hello," she answered.

"Hi, Ella. It's Stephanie."

"How are you feeling, dear? Was breakfast all right, or would you like me to bring up something more?"

"Breakfast was fine. I was just calling down to thank you for getting it and check how things are coming for tomorrow."

"I have everything just about done and my niece should have the cake here some time after lunch. Would you like me to call you when it gets here?"

"No thanks. I have complete faith in you and Lucy."

"Thank you, dear. Now, I'm going to let you go. I'm sure you have a lot to get done today."

Once we hung up, I headed back to the bedroom. I'd put off packing for the honeymoon and now I was out of time. The problem was, I had no idea what to pack since Ranger wouldn't tell me where we were going.

Sighing, I started with the things I'd take anywhere. Bras, underwear, the sexy lingerie I'd gotten at my shower and a couple of the 'gifts' from Grandma Mazur. I packed my make-up and hair stuff and then tackeld the clothing. I started preparing to go to an island and ended ready for a ski trip. When all was said and done, I had two suitcases, a shoe bag and a carry on. Guess that will show Ranger to not tell me where we're going.

With that done, I checked the time and saw it was just about noon so I grabbed my cell and called Mare.

"Hello," she answered.

"How are you feeling this morning?"

"Alive. I think."

"You still up for the spa?" She'd gotten me a manicure, facial and massage at our favorite spa for a wedding present and then bought the same for herself, so I wouldn't have to go alone, she'd said.

"Of course," she said, suddenly sounding much more like her usual self.

"How about I pick you up in an hour?"

"Okay, but can we take my car? I'll need to drop the kids off at my mom's."

"That's fine. See you in a bit," I said before hanging up and heading into the dressing area to get ready.

It didn't take me long to get ready since all I had to do was pull on sweats and a t-shirt and tame my hair back into a decent pony tail. There was no point getting dressed up and putting on make-up when I'd just be changing into a robe at the spa and getting my face washed for the facial.

Once I was ready, I made a quick peanut butter and olive sandwich and was on my way.

Mare and I had a blast at the spa. Our masseurs were complete hotties – not quite RangeMen but hotties -- the facials left our skin baby soft and we each got our nails done beautifully for tomorrow. Mine were soft French beige and Mare's were a light purpleish-gray.

When we were done, I picked up my car and headed back to RangeMan to get ready for the rehearsal and dinner, wishing I could squeeze a nap in.

I stopped on five on my way up to the apartment and checked in with Ranger. He'd apparently gotten everything he needed to do for the wedding done _and_ brought in two skips. Now he was just finishing up some paperwork before coming up to get ready for the rehearsal. If only my life worked like that…

Upstairs, I hopped in the shower and wet my hair down so I could style it. I did the make-up thing, picked out clothes and was just about done with my hair when Ranger showed up. He kissed me quickly and jumped in the shower himself. Fifteen minutes later we were in the elevator, riding down to the garage.

"How're you holding up?" Ranger asked, encircling me in his arms.

"Fine," I said.

And I was, now. When we'd first started planning the rehearsal dinner, I'd had a mini-melt down, realizing it was the first time my family and Ranger's would be meeting. Add Best Man Tank and Maid of Honor Lula and we were asking for a fiasco. But then Ranger had offered to take care of everything for tonight. And I'd calmed down considerably. With Batman in charge, it couldn't go wrong. Right?

The rehearsal went like a breeze with just Ranger, Tank, Lula, the priest and I. We'd explained to the priest that we'd both been married before as well as the rest of the situation and that we just wanted to keep things simple. He'd understood and agreed to make the ceremony as simple as a Catholic wedding can be.

Once we were done, we headed for Rossini's for dinner, and I took a deep breath before heading into the restaurant, holding tightly to Ranger's hand.

Our parents and grandmothers were going to be the only other guests, but they weren't there yet so I let out a sigh of relief. Ranger's family arrived first and as I was hugging them hello, I spotted my family.

I introduced everyone with my best Burg manners and we all sat down. Ranger squeezed my thigh under the table and I managed to relax a little more.

Overall, the dinner went well. There were only a few awkward moments after some of the things Grandma Mazur said. I swear there's nothing more embarrassing than her bringing up Ranger and my sex life in front of _both_ sets of our parents. And Mom managed to refrain from criticizing my small wedding party, or the fact that I'd refused to come stay at my parent's house that night.

oOoOoOo

"Thanks," I said to Ranger when we finally made it back to the apartment.

"For what?"

"For making tonight go smoothly."

"Babe, I don't think it was ever going to be the disaster you were anticipating."

"Right. Apparently you need to spend more time tuned into the Stephanie Plum show."

"That show's about to get canceled," Ranger said, picking me up and settling us on the couch.

"Huh?" I asked, both confused and distracted by his nearness.

He lifted his wrist and looked at his watch for a minute. "In fifteen and a half hours you'll be Stephanie Manoso."

"Can't wait," I said, turning my head until my lips touched his neck.

oOoOoOo

The next day at quarter of one, I was standing in the annex of the church, watching the clock and fidgeting. Fifteen minutes, I told myself, you can wait fifteen minutes. Think of it like a stake out… there's nowhere you can go, nothing to do and no way to speed up time.

"Do you have any Snickers?" I asked Lula who was watching me like I was about to explode.

"Damn Skippy," Lula said, grabbing the huge bag she'd told me was 'for emergencies.' "I've also got a bottle of tequila. That's what Tank said you were drinking last time. You need a shot?"

"No!"

"All right, all right. It's just that you're standing there all twitchy and nervous. You're making me nervous and Lord knows I'm nervous enough with all the cops out there in the audience."

"Lula, it's just Joe and Eddie."

"So? They still make me nervous," she said, finally finding the Snickers and handing it over.

I unwrapped it quickly and took a bite, focusing on the cocolatey, nougety goodness.

Just as I was finishing it up, my dad appeared, telling us it was time. Lula grabbed our flowers, handing me mine, before giving her long, black tube dress one last check in the mirror. Then she looked me up and down, nodded and took her place in front of dad and me.

The music started, the doors opened and she walked out.

"You ready, baby girl?" Dad asked when we were alone.

"Yeah," I said softly, looking down the aisle and seeing Ranger standing there in his black suit, blank face in place.

That changed as soon as Dad and I started walking towards him. Ranger's eyes locked with mine and I felt my heart skip a beat. His lips twitched almost imperceptibly up and I felt a huge smile spread across my face. And then I was there, Dad was kissing my cheek and putting my hand in Ranger's and we were turning to face the priest.

As the mass progressed, we heard a reading on unconditional love between man and wife and Ranger's hand tightened around mine. I turned my head slightly towards him and he mouthed 'no price.' I just smiled because I finally understood.

We both repeated after the priest then, giving our consent to the marriage, promising to be faithful and to love and honor one another. During Ranger's turn, I got my wedding band back that I'd only taken off that morning and then I returned his to him. When the vows were done, I heard the priest say, "What God has joined together, let no man separate," and then he pronounced us man and wife.

"You may kiss the bride," he said to Ranger as he took a step back.

I held my bouquet of flowers out to Lula, not taking my eyes off of Ranger as he lowered his face to mine. The kiss was slow and sensual and only ended when the cheering from the congregation broke through.

"We're married," I whispered to Ranger as we looked out over our family and close friends.

"How's it feel this time?"

"Better without the hangover."

oOoOoOo

A/N: Well, I think there's just one more chapter and maybe an epilogue left, so let me know if there are any loose ends you're dying to see tied up! And as always, please review and let me know what you thought!


	31. Chapter 31

Authors Note:

Every time I get the writing bug, I tell myself I can't move on until I finish this story. So, I read the whole thing over and try to write the ending. Problem is, I've decided I like the ending just the way it is... it feels 'right' to me!

Writing 'What Happens in Vegas' has been fun and a wonderful learning experience. Thank you all so much for reading and your support along the way!

The End :)


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